Girls Who Play Guitars

•⏪rewind⏸press▶️play⏩•

The starkly raw demo version of 'Green' cut off.

A cackle of light laughter peeled out of the speakers.

Meg.

Jessie's voice, close and dramatic into the microphone, in her faux-Elvis rip-off: "Thank you very much. You've been listening to Slider."

Ellie had completely forgotten they'd credit-tagged the end of the demo tape. She remembered the guy with the beaded beard and stinky Led Zep t-shirt—whose four-track they borrowed to record it—told them to in case the j-card inside went missing.

Jessie's voice continued in a sing-song lilt and Ellie could tell she was being forced to do something she didn't want to do by her rushed, sarcastic tone.

"You heard Meg Murphy on bass. Kim Amato on drums." An enormous sigh. "And Ellie Devine on guitar and vocals." Jessie's voice became over-dramatic and embellished. "And I am Jessie Romano, lead singer extraordinaire. The beauty in front of the brains. The face of the band. The one you want to—"

Jessie laughed slyly, then Kim's stern voice faintly from behind: "Just read the script."

Another sigh from Jessie before she muttered something incomprehensible.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" came Kim's fed up voice.

The tape shut off.

Ellie turned to Daniel, who had his eyes closed, smoking cigarette tucked into the corner of his mouth again. "I don't know—"

"Rewind it," Daniel said, waving his hand at her. "To that mumbly bit. Then turn it up."

Ellie watched the cigarette balance precariously on his lips as he spoke and grabbed it from between his lips, sticking it in her own mouth while she leaned forward and pressed the rewind and play buttons.

She twisted the volume dial, blowing smoke over the stereo.

Jessie's voice still sounded inaudible.

"I can't tell what she says," Ellie sighed as she propped the cigarette back between Daniel's pink lips.

"Again," he ordered with a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Turn it right up, Devine. Full blast so you can really hear it."

Ellie did as she was told.

This time, she heard it.

Loud and clear.

She leapt up with her heart beating.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" she yelled straight at the stereo with her hands gripping the side of her head.

Jerking awake from his sleeping position, Jupiter jumped up and peered up at her; let out a small, unsure bark.

Ellie looked at Daniel, who had opened one eye and grinned with the half of his mouth that wasn't balancing the cigarette, crooked tooth flashing at her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she yelled directly at him while her heart raged like an acid house dance party in her chest. "Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?" She ran her hands over her face, pressing her eyes closed as she tried to gather her thoughts and her pulse seared through every vein in her body.

Daniel pinched the smoke from his lips between two fingers and waggled it at her. "Can we go surf clubbin' now?"

Ellie stood still; in shock.

"You know she made me sign a copy of that demo tape?" she breathed, her mind racing. "She waved it in my face. She taunted me with it. She's known all along."