Change Me
part three
Three years past. I learned several things the hard way. I gave up my music and started to work for my brother. I thought I’d never amount to anything big anymore, and I never really believed I’d ever fall in love. I was lost and I was stuck. In short, my dreams were crushed.
It was mid August again and I was stacking packs of unopened bottled water for tonight. Tonight was special. We had a big band playing tonight. The place was sold out and even the other employees were buzzing about the boys that would be playing. I hadn’t seen any of them yet, but I usually tried to stay away from them anyway. I hated seeing the kids who’d beat me to record labels. I played better than half of them, and usually I sang better too. I just didn’t have it easy.
“Lull!” My brother called and I craned my neck around. “Check the rooms, will ya? The bands are supposed to be here any second.” I scoffed but gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks little sister!” I rolled my eyes as I started down the hallway. It never got less annoying when he decided to make sure everyone around knew I was his little sister. I mean, I was twenty-three. I knew how to defend myself. I didn’t need my brother beating up guys I wasn’t even interested in.
I checked two out of the three back rooms that the bands used for changing rooms. When I was halfway to the third room, security started to run past me. I scrunched my eyebrows together and shoved my back against the wall as they jogged past, not even noticing me. Behind them were several boys.
I knew their type. These were the boys everyone was waiting for. The band. I rolled my eyes as they walked by. They were all skinny as pipe cleaners and their hair was messily strewn around. I was thankful none of them were wearing makeup, but I guessed more than half had purchased their jeans in the women’s section.
Eyes turned toward me as they passed. Some winked and one guy growled/purred at me. I flipped him off and then his friends ‘ooh’d. I swear it was like they were thirteen. I went to turn back to my original task of checking the third room to make sure it was clean and ready for use when my name was yelled again. This voice wasn’t particularly familiar though.
“Lullaby?” He repeated my name again, softer and more curious, as he got closer. His hair was slightly less messy than the others and it was a dark shade of brown, like coffee before you put the creamer in. His eyes were a bit lighter, with flecks of gold in them. There were bags under his eyes, but his smile was wide and warm. The poor boy looked exhausted as shit, yet happy as hell to be here.
“Yes?” I formally answered as I forced myself to stop examining his features.
His smile widened. “You don’t remember me.” It wasn’t a question, just a fact. I didn’t bother trying to remember either. I’d met tons of people over the years, between me trying to get somewhere with my music and working for Lyric. I crossed my arms and the boy laughed as he extended his hand. “It’s Andrew.”
He said his own name with a smirk, like it was supposed to spark some recognition in me. The only Andrew I could think of was the crazy piano player who had passed through a few months ago. He had leukemia and a great sense of humor and he was clearly not the boy standing in front of me.
“Honestly, you don’t remember me at all? I figured I made some kind of impression. I mean, you did yell at me pretty brutally and then shove me. Do you call people out often? Maybe that’s why you don’t remember me. Well, let me give you a hint. I was the idiot that played my guitar sloppy. Granted, I was drunk that time you heard me play. I don’t play drunk anymore though. I don’t really get drunk at all anymore either. It’s not worth it.”
My eyes widened in shock. I remembered the scene clearly now. My mouth opened a little as I stared harder at the boy. He didn’t even really look the same anymore. It was like he’d aged ten years in the past three. He smiled coyly.
“I take it that means you remember me?” His two fingers slipped under my chin and closed my mouth. “I knew you would.” He put his hands back in his pockets and just smiled. His eyes shined. “I never forgot you, for the record.” I swallowed hard. “Fierce Lullaby, who turned my world around with just a few words.”
“What do you mean?” My voice finally worked as I uncomfortably shifted.
“You changed me. You changed the way I looked at things. I realized I was doing everything for the fame, not the music, like you said, and then I changed.” He grinned proudly. “I started writing stuff I liked and I started talking to the fans to get their opinions too. God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t intervened when you did.”
“You … listened … to me?” I strung together the words as my brain processed his.
“Yes.” He nodded and chuckled. “It was the best thing I ever did, too.”
It was awkward as we both fell silent. I was still trying to put all the pieces together while he just stared at me. This boy was doing what I wished I could do. He wasn’t taking it for granted anymore. He was living for the music and the fans, even though it was clearly taking a toll on his body physically.
“I want to thank you.” He broke the silence and bounced on his heels nervously. “I want to take you out to dinner and tell you all the marvelous things you’ve made possible. You know, you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met too. I haven’t been able to get your words or you out of my head for the past three years. I was worried when your name didn’t start bubbling up in the music mainstream. I thought maybe something happened. Who would have known you were just hiding under your brother’s wing? Well, I guess that’s not so surprising. He was always trying to keep you sheltered. Is he still against you dating? Cause we can declare the dinner as a ‘just friends’ thing if—,” I placed my hand over his mouth as I giggled.
“You know you ramble a lot.” He laughed and nodded as I dropped my hand. “Dinner sounds good though.” I smiled shyly as my hand bumped against his and I slowly laced my fingers with his.
It was mid August again and I was stacking packs of unopened bottled water for tonight. Tonight was special. We had a big band playing tonight. The place was sold out and even the other employees were buzzing about the boys that would be playing. I hadn’t seen any of them yet, but I usually tried to stay away from them anyway. I hated seeing the kids who’d beat me to record labels. I played better than half of them, and usually I sang better too. I just didn’t have it easy.
“Lull!” My brother called and I craned my neck around. “Check the rooms, will ya? The bands are supposed to be here any second.” I scoffed but gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks little sister!” I rolled my eyes as I started down the hallway. It never got less annoying when he decided to make sure everyone around knew I was his little sister. I mean, I was twenty-three. I knew how to defend myself. I didn’t need my brother beating up guys I wasn’t even interested in.
I checked two out of the three back rooms that the bands used for changing rooms. When I was halfway to the third room, security started to run past me. I scrunched my eyebrows together and shoved my back against the wall as they jogged past, not even noticing me. Behind them were several boys.
I knew their type. These were the boys everyone was waiting for. The band. I rolled my eyes as they walked by. They were all skinny as pipe cleaners and their hair was messily strewn around. I was thankful none of them were wearing makeup, but I guessed more than half had purchased their jeans in the women’s section.
Eyes turned toward me as they passed. Some winked and one guy growled/purred at me. I flipped him off and then his friends ‘ooh’d. I swear it was like they were thirteen. I went to turn back to my original task of checking the third room to make sure it was clean and ready for use when my name was yelled again. This voice wasn’t particularly familiar though.
“Lullaby?” He repeated my name again, softer and more curious, as he got closer. His hair was slightly less messy than the others and it was a dark shade of brown, like coffee before you put the creamer in. His eyes were a bit lighter, with flecks of gold in them. There were bags under his eyes, but his smile was wide and warm. The poor boy looked exhausted as shit, yet happy as hell to be here.
“Yes?” I formally answered as I forced myself to stop examining his features.
His smile widened. “You don’t remember me.” It wasn’t a question, just a fact. I didn’t bother trying to remember either. I’d met tons of people over the years, between me trying to get somewhere with my music and working for Lyric. I crossed my arms and the boy laughed as he extended his hand. “It’s Andrew.”
He said his own name with a smirk, like it was supposed to spark some recognition in me. The only Andrew I could think of was the crazy piano player who had passed through a few months ago. He had leukemia and a great sense of humor and he was clearly not the boy standing in front of me.
“Honestly, you don’t remember me at all? I figured I made some kind of impression. I mean, you did yell at me pretty brutally and then shove me. Do you call people out often? Maybe that’s why you don’t remember me. Well, let me give you a hint. I was the idiot that played my guitar sloppy. Granted, I was drunk that time you heard me play. I don’t play drunk anymore though. I don’t really get drunk at all anymore either. It’s not worth it.”
My eyes widened in shock. I remembered the scene clearly now. My mouth opened a little as I stared harder at the boy. He didn’t even really look the same anymore. It was like he’d aged ten years in the past three. He smiled coyly.
“I take it that means you remember me?” His two fingers slipped under my chin and closed my mouth. “I knew you would.” He put his hands back in his pockets and just smiled. His eyes shined. “I never forgot you, for the record.” I swallowed hard. “Fierce Lullaby, who turned my world around with just a few words.”
“What do you mean?” My voice finally worked as I uncomfortably shifted.
“You changed me. You changed the way I looked at things. I realized I was doing everything for the fame, not the music, like you said, and then I changed.” He grinned proudly. “I started writing stuff I liked and I started talking to the fans to get their opinions too. God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t intervened when you did.”
“You … listened … to me?” I strung together the words as my brain processed his.
“Yes.” He nodded and chuckled. “It was the best thing I ever did, too.”
It was awkward as we both fell silent. I was still trying to put all the pieces together while he just stared at me. This boy was doing what I wished I could do. He wasn’t taking it for granted anymore. He was living for the music and the fans, even though it was clearly taking a toll on his body physically.
“I want to thank you.” He broke the silence and bounced on his heels nervously. “I want to take you out to dinner and tell you all the marvelous things you’ve made possible. You know, you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met too. I haven’t been able to get your words or you out of my head for the past three years. I was worried when your name didn’t start bubbling up in the music mainstream. I thought maybe something happened. Who would have known you were just hiding under your brother’s wing? Well, I guess that’s not so surprising. He was always trying to keep you sheltered. Is he still against you dating? Cause we can declare the dinner as a ‘just friends’ thing if—,” I placed my hand over his mouth as I giggled.
“You know you ramble a lot.” He laughed and nodded as I dropped my hand. “Dinner sounds good though.” I smiled shyly as my hand bumped against his and I slowly laced my fingers with his.