Perfection Doesn't Exist

Jesse sighed as she popped her gum as a source of entertainment. Sitting behind the light board at Rams Head was fun and all, but seriously. There was only so much a girl could take, and since this was her third year working the sound for her uncle when the people playing didn’t have a sound guy/girl, she was growing bored with it. Usually, it didn’t bother her because she had no where else to be on a Friday or Saturday night, or whenever there was a show. But tonight was an exception. Her friends were heading out for a big party to kick off winter break, and she was supposed to go, too. But, Jesse’s uncle called her out last minute and promised to pay her double the usual fee. Considering she didn’t have a usual fee, she was happy to be getting anything.

Of course, for the love of the music, she came. And that’s how she wound up here watching some band set up so she could get a feel for how to do the sound to give them a maximum listening experience.

In a trance and paying no attention to anything but the Winterfresh in her mouth, Jesse was caught by surprise when someone walked up to her. “Jess, I need you to actually try and act interested tonight, ok?” her uncle pleaded.

Jesse sighed. “I always try to act interested. Sometimes better than others, but I always try. It hurts you don’t give me more credit,” she faked a hurt expression and then laughed at her uncle’s scowl. “Oh, chill Uncle John. I’ll be fine once the music plays. I’ve been in this position a thousand times; I think I can handle it once more.”

John rolled his eyes at his spunky niece. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say firecracker. Got the sound figured out already?”

Jesse scoffed, as if shocked that he’d ask such a thing, and nodded. “Of course. It’s simple; I don’t know why they’re sound guy didn’t show up.”

John nodded. “Works for me. And for the record, they do have a sound guy, but he got sick and couldn’t make it.”

Jesse shrugged. “Not my problem, as long as I get paid this time.”

John shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

Jesse smirked as her uncle walked away. Her uncle was like her father; and since her father left her and her mom when she was only three, she needed that in her life. The thought of Jesse’s father made her bristle up and she got angry. She despised her dad. He cheated on her mom, and then left. He was a real winner, that’s for sure. But, luckily Jesse had her uncle, which was her mom’s brother, to be there for her whenever she needed. Jesse was lucky in that sense.

Shaking the thoughts of her father out of her mind, she pushed herself up from the chair with wheels and walked over to the wall behind her to pick up her Vitamin Water. Jesse had been here a million times and she still didn’t even trust herself with liquids by the electrical equipment. She took a drink, capped the bottle, and set it back down, slowly making her way back over to her chair. She zoned out for a few minutes, but was jolted back to reality when someone called her name. “Jesse!”

She looked around and then figured out it was coming from the stage. “What?” she yelled back, not sure who she was talking to. The person shook their head, and jogged her way. When he reached her, she noticed his gauges first. That was what she noticed about him the very first time she met him. She was then hit with a wave of realization as she realized who was playing here tonight.

“Seriously?” he asked her with disbelief in his voice. “Did you really expect me to have a conversation with you from that far away?”

Jesse smirked at him, her 21 years worth of sass and sarcasm coming out full force. “I figured that you’d want to hear my beautiful voice radiate throughout this whole place.”

He rolled his eyes. “Funny, Stein. You’re sarcasm gets me every time.”

Jesse laughed. “It should, because it’s identical to yours, Matty.”

Matt scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

Don’t call me Stein, Jesse thought with a roll of her eyes and stood up so she was near the older guy’s height. She patted his shoulder as she walked by. “You know you like it, Matty.”

Matt groaned and rolled his eyes. He had known Jesse for over five years now, ever since she had started really getting into the music and wanting to spend every moment of her free time down at the venue that her uncle owned and operated. She was a sassy, sarcastic girl who’d stick up for herself whenever she needed to. Matt liked to think that was mainly from the help of all the people she had met over the years at Rams Head and became good friends with. When she had first come to Rams Head, she was a shy, quiet girl, who stood behind her uncle or in the corners, not talking much. Now, she was the complete opposite.

Matt laughed inwardly as he turned around and walked back towards the stage. He was reminiscing the day when he first met Jesse. She had just turned 16 and was now allowed to go to Rams Head, while Matt was 17, and it was one of her first days at Rams Head. Matt was there with some friends of his and was trying to book a gig, but failing miserably. He had literally ran right into Jesse after turning away from her uncle when he told them for the last time that he couldn’t book Matt’s band right now. He promised them that if they came back in another year, it’d be a different story. Matt wasn’t going to lie; he was angry when he walked away from John. He knew he wasn’t going to keep his promise. He wasn’t paying attention and ran right into her. He mumbled a sorry and she nodded and said, “Come back in a year, and I bet he’ll book you. My uncle keeps his promises like his life depends on it. Yours isn’t any different.” After this, he just shrugged and left. Exactly a year later, Matt got an email from a girl named Jesse, telling him to come down to Rams Head so he could get a gig booked. He did, and the rest is history.

Well, not really. Matt and Jesse are pretty close friends, considering how long they've known each other. If it weren't for her, Matt might not be were he was now. He didn’t mind being her friend anymore than she minded being his; besides the fact that Jesse was very sarcastic and could be really cold towards some people, she was the owner’s niece. Matt didn’t like to think he was taking advantage of Jesse, because he did like her and they were pretty close friends, he just… didn’t completely push aside the fact that she was the owner’s niece when he met her six years ago.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Matt walked backstage where the rest of the guys were. “Soundcheck, guys,” he told the band.

“Who’s doing sound?” Alex asked his manager and close friend.

“Jesse; so don’t piss her off or she’ll make you guys sound like shit.”

The guys walked out for soundcheck and Matt stood off to the side. They all started playing Suffocation for old time’s sake, which made Jesse grown from the sound board. She screwed around with some of the sound features and really screwed up the way the guys sounded. Immediately the guys stopped playing, looking at Matt in disbelief. Matt growled. He didn’t want to deal with Jesse’s pissy attitude today. He stalked back toward her and said, “Stop it,” in a firm voice.

The brown haired girl shrugged. “I’ll stop when they get a better song to do sound check with.”

Glaring, Matt turned toward the stage and yelled out to the guys, “New song, now!”

Alex smirked in Jesse’s direction, making her stomach turn. She made a gagging noise and then the guys launched into their rendition of Dammit by Blink-182. Jesse smirked and said to Matt, “Much better.” She fixed the sound so they sounded 100 percent better and then looked at Matt. “Happy?”

Matt gave her a look that said, don’t screw with me, and walked back towards the stage.

Jesse just laughed. She loved pushing Matt’s buttons and ticking him off. Maybe that was her downside, but she didn’t mind.

If no one had flaws then the world would be full of perfection, and to Jesse, perfection just didn’t exist.