2,318Standard Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight or any of the characters from the story. All song selections have been provided by my amazing beta, NoWayWithWords. She is the greatest!
The song for this chapter is "Luck" by Hailey Wojcik.
Chapter 1 – Swan Dive
For as long as I can remember, I have loved music. When I was a baby, my mom would play the radio with the volume turned up loud so she could listen to music while she cleaned the house. She used to tell me that it was the only way she could get anything done without having to hold me all the time. While the music was playing I would sing and dance in my playpen. Once the music stopped, I would cry and throw a fit. When I was four years old, my mom started sending me to piano lessons. I continued to take piano until I was fourteen. I would have kept going, but my instructor, Mrs. Lee, moved away to be closer to her grandchildren.
Instead of finding a new piano teacher, I signed up for guitar lessons. The music teacher at the local high school, Mr. Connor, taught kids to play various instruments after school to make extra money. All you had to do was sign up for a time slot and show up with your instrument. My dad had an old acoustic guitar gathering dust in the back of his closet, so I "borrowed" it for my first lesson.
Mr. Connor had to spend almost the entire hour tuning the old thing and replacing a couple of strings. He sent a note home with me letting my parents know that they could reimburse him for the strings and how much they cost. My dad just about had a litter of kittens, he was so pissed off. He had just started yelling at me about having no respect for other people's property when my mother came to my rescue. She lied and told him that she gave me permission to use the guitar because he hadn't touched it in years. He wasn't happy about it, but he simmered down.
My mom came to my room later that night and told me that she had discussed it with my dad and I could keep using the guitar. When I thanked her for covering for me, she gave me big hug and told me to name something after her when I made it big. I laughed and promised that I would.
Five years later, I was sitting in a bar on Karaoke night, waiting for my turn to sing, when a beautiful woman strolled in with her huge-ass boyfriend. They sat at a table in the corner of the bar and ordered their drinks. I remember looking at her and thinking she looked like she could be a famous actress or model, but I just couldn't place her.
One of my friends was called on stage to sing, so I turned back around and ignored the beautiful couple. My friend sang an old song that everyone liked to sing along with and she did a pretty good job with it. When it was my turn, I went up on stage and grabbed the mic. I had chosen a song with good music, but instead of singing the words that popped up on the screen, I sang my own lyrics.
The regulars at the bar always got a kick out of it when I did that. The words that I wrote were usually pretty risqué or downright raunchy. The crowd would always get quiet so they could hear what I was singing. It was great. I loved the attention and loved being in the spotlight.
After the song was over, I got a big round of applause. I took a bow and returned to my seat. A few minutes later, the big guy that was sitting with the supermodel came over and asked if he could buy me a drink.
"Sorry, I'm not drinking," I told him.
"Oh, are you the designated driver?"
"No. I'm not old enough to drink yet. The owner and all the bar tenders know that I just turned twenty."
The man smiled and said, "Would you like a coke or something?"
I cocked my eyebrow and looked at him closely. "Why don't you just cut the shit and tell me what you really want? I saw you come in with that blond bombshell back there, so I know you're not trying to pick me up. If you are looking for someone to join you in some kinky threesome, I'm honored but that's just not my thing."
"I like your attitude, kid." He laughed. "Ok, I'll cut the shit. My name is Emmett McCarty. I work for a small independent radio station that is planning on showcasing some local talent at a festival they are hosting this summer. It will be downtown, so you won't have to travel far. If you are interested in auditioning, I can help set that up for you."
"What do you get out of this?"
"If you get up on stage and perform, I get a sweet commission check."
I was trying to pretend it meant nothing to me, but inside I was just about to jump out of my skin with excitement. We exchanged phone numbers. Three weeks later, I was at the radio station sitting in a room full of people, waiting for my chance to dazzle a panel of judges. I was nervous as hell. Emmett was there with me, two guys, and three other girls. He wanted to make sure we didn't back out at the last minute and leave. I have to admit, if he hadn't been there, I probably would have done just that.
A short lady with big glasses came into the waiting room and called two other girls and me at the same time. We followed her down a long hall to a conference room. There were three men and one woman sitting at the table with stacks of papers. They glanced up at us as the short lady told them our names, but then they went back to jotting notes.
The first girl reached in a large backpack and pulled out a small CD player with portable speakers. She handed them a picture of her face with her name across the top and waited for them to tell her to continue. When the lady at the end nodded her head, the girl started the music and began singing. She did a pretty good job. She only sang for about two minutes before they told her to stop. She thanked them for giving her the opportunity to audition and quickly left the room.
The second girl reached into her purse and retrieved a photo of herself and gave it to them. I suddenly realized that I was unprepared. I didn't have any pictures of myself. Emmett never told me I would need one. I made a mental note to kick his ass before returning my attention to the girl that was just about to sing. She had a little hand held tape recorder in her hand that she had recorded her music on.
I couldn't believe that Emmett hadn't told me to bring any music. I guess I should have known, being a try-out and all, but I just didn't think about it.
When the second girl was finished all of their attention was on me. I stepped forward and introduced myself again.
"Hello, my name is Bella Swan. Sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to bring a picture."
The old man sitting in the middle glanced up at me and said, "It's not necessary. We are interested in your voice, not how well you can style your hair and put on makeup."
The others chuckled at his comment.
He snickered and continued. "So, what will you be singing for us today?"
Suddenly inspiration hit. I had spent so much time on hold trying to get proper directions to this place that I had made up a song to go along with their horrible hold music. It was about trying to ignore a couple making out in front of me in a movie theater.
"I am going to sing a song that I wrote this morning. It doesn't have a name, but I am sure you will be familiar with the tune."
I pulled out my cell phone, put it on speaker phone, and dialed the number for the radio station. Just my luck, the radio DJ picked up on the second ring and told me that I'd won concert tickets to see Edward Cullen next Saturday. The other people in the room laughed as I thanked the DJ and gave him my name and told him I would pick up the tickets from the station. Before he hung up, I asked him if he could please put me on hold for a few minutes. He must have thought I was completely insane but he did it.
When the scratchy hold music started, I began to sing. Two of the men were laughing. One of them was blushing, and the lady seemed unaffected but was furiously writing. I managed to make it through all three verses of the song without them stopping me. When I was done, I hung up the phone and thanked them before I was led back out to where Emmett was waiting. He asked how it went and I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea if I would even be considered but at least I got a pair of concert tickets out of it.
Emmett called me three days later to tell me that I was "on the short list" and needed to come back in to audition with the band they had chosen. Instead of auditioning at the radio station, this audition was being held at a popular bar on the nicer side of town.
I dressed in a pair of faded skinny jeans and an old Speed Racer t-shirt. I would have worn something nice, but I somehow managed to break the washing machine while it was in the middle of washing all the nice clothes I own. Emmett told me not to worry about my outfit. He said my casual attire would make me stand out from the crowd.
When I got to the bar, the bouncer wouldn't let me in because I wasn't twenty-one. Emmett had to get the manager in order for me to get in. The manger came out with a red permanent marker and wrote "Under 21" on the back of both of my hands before he let me in. Emmett thanked him and escorted me over to the stage to sit with the others.
The band set up and a guy was called up on stage to sing. It took a few minutes for the band to find a song the guy knew, but eventually they came up with something. I didn't recognize it, but it was pretty good. The second lady sucked ass. The third person was already drunk by the time he got on stage. The fourth was a lady who did great. The band took a break after the fifth person.
When they came back, they started up again. Since I was the last one to get into the bar, I was the last one to audition. By the time the band was ready for me, they were looking tired and irritated. When I stepped on stage, they looked me over and asked what song I wanted to sing.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It doesn't really bother me. You are the ones that have been up here all night. What do you want to play?"
The base player laughed and said, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
I knew he was just being an ass but I nodded and said, "Ok, sounds good. Go ahead."
He squared his shoulders and started to play, but instead of singing the children's song, I used my own words…
Touch me, lick me, fuck me hard
Make me cum inside your car
This could be your lucky night
Promise I won't even fight
Touch me, lick me, fuck me hard
Make me cum inside your car
The crowd in the bar quieted down to hear me. When I was done, the drummer fell off his stool he was laughing so hard.
"Shit! That was great!" he said as he got back up on his stool. "Alright, let's play something good." He thought about it for a minute then suggested an old Led Zeppelin song that I loved. I sang it word for word because there are some songs that you just don't mess with. When I was done, I thanked the band members for putting up with all of our shit and stopped to tell Emmett goodbye before heading home.
I would have stayed and hung out at the bar, but I needed to get home and get some rest because my best friend, Angela, and I were going to the Edward Cullen concert the next night. I was really looking forward to the concert. Not only could Edward Cullen rock the house, but he was sexy as hell. When he sang slow ballads, my panties literally melted off of me. The tickets I won from the radio station sucked ass, but at least I could say that I saw him live.
-/MMI/-
Saturday was a great day. I woke up just before my phone started ringing. It was Emmett telling me that the band had chosen me as their new lead singer. They would be getting with me the following week to coordinate practice times.
Luckily, I was taking some pretty easy college courses that semester, so I didn't have to worry too much about it interfering with my grades. As long as I kept my grades up, my scholarship paid for my apartment. My dad gave me money for food and paid for my cell phone. He probably wouldn't be happy that I was singing in a band, so I decided that it would be best if I didn't tell him. I did call all of my friends and my mom to tell them that I was in a band that would be playing at a festival the following summer. Mom was the most excited. She told me she would drag her new husband, Phil, all the way from Florida to Seattle to watch the show, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to do it.
That night, Angela and I went to dinner before heading to the concert. We were sitting across from each other in a booth, simply enjoying our food, when all of a sudden a crowd started to gather outside the door. I looked toward the door and in stepped the one and only Edward Cullen, along with his band, bodyguards, and various women wearing too much makeup and not enough clothing.
Angela grabbed my hand and squeezed it so hard that I thought my fingers were going to pop off. "Shit, Angela, you're hurting me. Let go." I had to pry her fingers from my hand.
She made a squeaking noise and went to grab me again, but I was too fast. I jerked away fast enough that she missed me, but by flinging my hand out of harm's way, I somehow managed to backhand the one and only Edward Cullen right in the junk as he was trying to walk by.
He gasped and buckled a little as he grabbed his crotch. One of his body guards grabbed him by the arm to keep him from hitting the floor. Two of the women were cooing at him and saying things that somewhat sounded like offers to make him feel better. Instead of even paying attention to what they were saying to him, he turned to me with a strained voice and said, "What the hell did you do that for?"
I could feel my blush tainting my cheeks. "I'm so sorry! That was a total accident. I was trying to keep my friend my pinching my fingers off and didn't know you were walking so close. Are you alright? Do you need ice or something?"
"No, I think I'll live. I may be a little sore, but I'll live." He forced himself to stand upright and winced.
"I hope this doesn't mess up the show tonight. I would be pissed at myself if I ruined it. Angela and I were super excited that we won tickets to see the concert."
"I think it will be fine. I don't really need my balls when I'm on stage. You said you won the tickets? Did they give you good ones at least?"
I pulled our tickets from my purse and handed them to him. He turned to a man and said something to him. The man reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. Edward pulled two tickets from the envelope and handed them to me.
"Here, these are much better tickets." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a pen and wrote something on the back of each of the tickets before handing them to us. We thanked him and he walked off to a private dining room in the back.
From the look on Angela's face I wasn't sure if she was just in total shock or if she wet herself. I looked at the back of her ticket. It read, "Thanks for your support. Don't forget to breathe. Edward Cullen." I flipped mine over expecting the same message and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Mine said, "Any woman who has had her hands on my balls deserves front row seats. Enjoy the show, Edward Cullen."
Sure enough, our tickets were in the front row, center stage. The concert was phenomenal. I could have sworn that he'd sung a couple of his ballads directly at me and Angela. I was sad to see it end. On our way home, Angela and I sang along with every one of his songs that I had on my iPod. It was definitely a night to remember.
-/MMI/-
I got a call the following Tuesday from Nate, the drummer for the band I would be practicing with. Luckily the band members didn't live too far from me. We agreed that we would practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and on Saturday mornings.
The next week I started practicing with the band. The drummer, Nate, and the lead guitar player, Jessie, were brothers. They both had muscular bodies, light brown eyes and naturally golden tan skin. Nate had sandy blond hair that he kept short and spiky. Jessie had light brown wavy hair that he was growing out. It was down just past his shoulders, so he wore it back in a ponytail most of the time.
Alonzo played the bass guitar. With his dark skin, long dreads, and wardrobe of faded jeans and red, yellow, and green tie-died tank tops, he looked just like he was from Jamaica. You wouldn't know by looking at him that he was actually born in Connecticut and moved out to Seattle with his parents when he was seventeen. He met Jessie and Nate in high school and had been playing in the band with them ever since.
There used to be a fourth member of the band, but he quit shortly after the band signed to play at the festival. He didn't feel comfortable singing in front of a crowd. Apparently it pissed everyone off so badly that they didn't even refer to the guy by name anymore. He was just "the asshole."
When the band contacted the agency that signed them to drop out of the performance, the agency said they would help recruit a new singer, and that's how they ended up with me.
Thankfully, I got along great with the guys. We all seemed to just click. They had several original songs that they had written, which they played for me. The songs were pretty good, but needed a little help. The words were absolutely cheesy, so I did what I do best: I changed them. Jessie didn't like the idea of me fucking with their music, but Nate and Alonzo talked him into it. By the time I was done playing with the lyrics we had some great tunes.
Nate managed to book us a few small bars in town so we could try out our songs. I could see the guys were a little anxious about whether or not I could actually perform on stage. They were accustomed to "the asshole's" panic attacks and complete no-shows, so it was a shock to them when I showed up at the bar ready to go.
Thank God I didn't have any trouble getting in this time. I helped the guys set up and test the sound system before slipping into the bathroom to give myself a pep talk. While I was in there, a drunken woman that looked like she was in her early forties came stumbling out of one of the stalls. She smiled at me as she made her way over to the sink to wash her hands.
"You know, when I was your age, I used to wear sexy panties when I was going on stage. No one could see them, but they gave me confidence."
I chuckled, "I guess I didn't think about that. I'm just wearing boring old cotton panties."
"Take them off. You're wearing jeans. No one will know, but you will still feel a little naked. That's the secret. I should know. I was pretty good in my day."
She wished me luck and stumbled back out into the bar. I thought about what she said and decided, "What the hell." I went into the stall and took off my panties. I shoved them deep into the pocket of my jacket before pulling my jeans back on and heading out to the stage.
The concert went better than expected. After the set, we were bombarded by people asking if we had a CD. Of course we didn't, but it inspired us to start looking into how much it would cost. We called around to different studios and were shocked at how expensive it would be. I asked around campus and found a professor whose class was learning about recording media. I coordinated a deal with the professor: we could use the studio at the college, but we had to let his students help with the technical stuff.
Basically, our first CD was their class project, so we didn't have to pay for anything except the copies of the CDs we were going to sell. They sold us the CD's for $5 each. We dug deep in our pockets, skipped a few meals, and by the time we played our next gig, we had 30 CD's to sell. Since we paid $5 for them, we were selling them for $10.
After hearing my story about my mom and the guitar lessons, the guys agreed to name the first CD Promises to Renee.
AN – I hope you like what I've written so far. I've been working on this off and on for a while now and already have several chapters finished. I've finally decided to start posting it due to some prodding by my friends, NoWayWithWords and Fangmom. If you like it please let me know by posting a review. Thanks!