I Can Still Be Your Superman

Listen While You Read: Maybe We'll Make It After All - Stages and Stereos

I sat at the piano and mindlessly played as I waited. “I can’t believe that he’s a half hour late.” I said to Uncle John.

He glanced over at me from his seat behind a table filled with sheet music. “I know. I hope he’s alright. Why don’t you call him?”

I rolled my eyes, “Just because I have a phone doesn’t mean I’m going to use it all the time again. Plus, I don’t have anyone’s number. You call him.”

Uncle John sighed, but got up to get his phone out of his pocket. As soon as he pulled it out, the door swung open, reveling Nick and a tall, brunette girl. My fingers stopped playing. They were holding hands. She was Samantha.

“I’m so sorry we’re late.” Nick said, closing the door behind them. “Samantha’s flight ran a little late.”

Uncle John smiled, “Not a problem. Nice to finally meet you Samantha, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m John Fields, Nick’s producer.” He said, extending a hand out to her.

She smiled and shook his hand. “Pleasure,” She said, her British accent crawling through the air.

“And that’s Morgan, my niece and co-producer/writer.” Uncle John said, gesturing towards me.

I smiled halfheartedly but didn’t bother to get up.

“Nice to meet you Morgan, Nick’s told me so much about you.” She said, her glance quickly dancing to Nick’s form beside her.

My eyebrows shot up, “Oh really?” I said, surprised, my eyes falling on Nick who was looking at me. “Like what?”

“Oh nothing too personal, just how you two are really close.” She responded.

I smirked, “Huh.” Apparently, Nick was keeping our ‘relationship’ a secret from her. Interesting. “Didn’t you just go back to England two weeks ago? Don’t you have performances or something?”

“Three weeks actually. And yes, but we have a week break so I decided to come out here for a few days.”

“Fantastic.” I said with faked enthusiasm.

“Okay, I think we should get started.” Uncle John said, grabbing some sheet music off the table.

“Morgan, be nice,” Uncle John warned me as he handed me the sheet music.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m always nice.” I replied.

He simply gave me his ‘you know exactly what I’m talking about and you better watch it’ look and walked back over to Nick. “Okay, so we’re just going to run through the song we did yesterday to make sure it’s to your liking. Alright?”

“Great,” Nick said and sat in one of the chairs that were placed around the piano.
“And Morgan, can you please sing too? Please?” Uncle John pleaded.

I huffed, “Fine.”

Smiling, he said, “Whenever you’re ready Morgan.”

I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to ignore her presence that I was so blatantly aware of. I played the first few bars on the piano before Nick began to sing:

(Nick, Morgan, Both)

And this is who we are
And this is what we made
Don’t close your eyes
Don’t be afraid to fall

And all that they say is failure’s the only thing we’ll find

Well I’m wide awake
Unwilling to take advice
From anybody else
I’ve already lost
Everything that’s ever
Made any kind of sense
And I’m so proud of what I’ve made
On top of the world
And not afraid to see the end

My heart’s filled with hope
Of getting the hell out of here
It’s hard enough to be here every day
This place is damned
And God can’t save it
I can’t just get up
And walk away
And let the narrow minds get by
And lead the way

Well all that they say is failure’s the only thing we’ll find

Well I’m wide awake
Unwilling to take advice
From anybody else
I’ve already lost
Everything that’s ever
Made any kind of sense
And I’m so proud of what I’ve made
On top of the world
And not afraid to see the end

My blood runs too thick to let this go
The weight of the world is on my shoulders
I’m at the point of no return
Oh, while every day is getting shorter
I’m sure
That you hear
My heart beat from miles and miles away

Well I’m wide awake
Unwilling to take advice
From anybody else
I’ve already lost
Everything that’s ever
Made any kind of sense
And I’m so proud of what I’ve made
On top of the world
And not afraid to see the end

Woah oh
Well I’m wide awake (I’m wide awake)
And unwilling to take advice
From anybody else
I’ve already lost (I’m wide awake)
Everything that’s ever
Made any kind of sense
And I’m so proud of what I’ve made (So proud)
On top of the world (On top)
And not afraid to see the end

“That was fantastic you guys. See Morgan, we really need you.” Uncle John said.

“I told you, still thinking about it.” I replied, not taking my eyes away from the piano keys.

“How’d you like it Samantha?” Nick asked.

“Yes, it was good. But some of the notes seem a little sharp.” She responded.

“They’re supposed to be.” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“But do they have to be?”

I whipped my head up and glared at her, “That’s the whole point. The sharp notes bring forth emotion.”

“But it would sound better if the notes weren’t sharp.” She argued.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes I do. I know that you want people to listen to the song and they won’t if it’s unpleasant to listen to.”

“That’s the point!” I yelled. “It’s not supposed to be a pleasant and happy song. It’s supposed to invoke unwanted feelings.”

“Note choice doesn’t do that, lyrics do.”

“Oh really!? What about this?” I said and played two harmonizing sharp chords. “Pretty sure that will invoke an emotion.” I spat and stormed out of the room, fuming. Usually I don’t mind people giving their opinions about music, especially constructive criticism, but she had no idea what she was talking about. And she’s a performer! How is that possible?

I weaved through the hallways trying to calm down. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and walked right into somebody.

“OhmyGod, I’m so sorry.” I said frantically as I tried to regain my balance.

The person laughed, “It’s no big deal. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

I looked up and took a sharp breath as my eyes locked with the person’s pale blue ones. “N-no, it’s totally my fault. I was too wrapped up in my own head space.”

He smiled, “Why don’t we both take blame? Make it even?”

I laughed, “Deal.”

“I’m Zach,” He said, extending his hand.

“Morgan,” I said, grabbing his hand to shake.

“Why is it that I’ve never met you before? I thought I knew all of the Hollywood Record singers.” He asked, leaning against the wall.

“Then it’s because I’m not a singer.” I replied smirking.

“Then you’re someone’s girlfriend, no? A beautiful girl like you can’t be single.” Zach said, sending a wave of heat to my cheeks. Was he really hitting on me?

“Well actually –”

“Morgan!” Nick’s voice came from behind me.

Sighing, I turned my head towards his approaching figure. “What?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for twenty minutes. John wants to talk to you.”

“I was walking around and then ran into Zach. We were talking before you rudely interrupted.” I said, turning back towards Zach who was looking at us slightly deflated.

“Hey Nick,” Zach said, giving him the traditional ‘hey bro’ head nod. Then he turned his attention to me. “I have to get back to the studio. But later, my friends and I are going bowling. Do you wanna come?” He asked hopefully.

“Sure, I’d love to go.” I replied smiling widely.

A smile lit up his face. “Great. Nick you can come too if you want.”

No, no, no, no, no, no, I repeated in my head, hoping he’d get the message.

“Sure. Is it okay if I bring my girlfriend?”

Zach quickly glanced between Nick and I before his smile grew in size. “Sure, the more the merrier.” He turned towards me and pulled his phone out of his pocket, holding it out to me. “Here, put in your number. I’ll call you when we’re leaving.”

I grabbed his phone and quickly punched in the right numbers. “I’ll see you later.” I said smiling, handing him his phone.

“You definitely will. See ya!” He said before walking past Nick and I to his studio.

“He has a girlfriend you know,” Nick said beside me.

I shrugged, “That’s okay. There’s no harm in looking.” I turned to face him. “How do you know him anyway?”

“He and his friends are in a band called Allstar Weekend. They signed like two years ago.” He said before quickly switching the subject. “Why were you yelling at Samantha before? It was totally uncalled for.”

I rolled my eyes, “I wasn’t yelling. I was frustrated; she wasn’t getting the concept. And why didn’t you back me up? You wrote the whole song.”

“Because it’s her opinion. I wasn’t going to yell at her because I disagreed with her like you did.”

You would have if it were me, I thought but kept that to myself. “But she was wrong. If she knew what she was talking about and still had the same opinion, I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

“Bullshit, you just don’t like her.”

I scoffed, “Lies.” I said and began to walk back to the studio.

“No, it’s true and you know it. Whenever she comes up in conversation, your attitude completely shifts.” He said, walking beside me.

“No it doesn’t. besides, I don’t even know her. How can I not like someone that I don’t know?”

He smirked, “Because you’re jealous.”

“Ha.” I laughed shortly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I’m not, just stating a fact.”

Before I opened the door to the studio, I turned to face him. “I am not jealous.” I said sternly, looking directly into his eyes before swiftly opening the studio’s door and walking in. I couldn’t believe I just lied to his face.

***

“Morgan, this is Nathan, Michael, and Cameron.” Zach said, “Guys, this is Morgan and Samantha, Nick’s girlfriend.”

Smiles and ‘nice to meet you’s flew around the lobby where we met to go bowling. Surprisingly, Uncle John let me go. He didn’t punish me for the way I ‘treated Samantha’ but if I did it again I would be in ‘big trouble’.

“Nice shirt,” Cameron said smiling.

I looked down at my black ‘Sith Happens’ shirt. “Thanks, I thought it was punny.”

He laughed, “It most definitely is.”

“Are we going?” Nick asked shortly.

“Yeah, but we don’t have a large enough car to fit all of us. Do you want to follow?” Zach asked directing the question to Nick and I.

“Well, I didn’t drive, so can I hitch a ride?” I asked, looking towards Nick.

Before he could answer, Cameron spoke. “You can ride with us. We have enough room for one extra, just not three.”

I looked at Nick quickly. Did I really want to be in his car right now? I turned to Cameron and smiled, “Sure, I’ll squeeze with you guys.”

“Great,” Nathan said. “We’re going to Lucky Strike just in case we get separated.”

Nick nodded and walked out quickly with Samantha in tow.

“Is he okay? He’s acting strangely.” Michael asked.

I shrugged, “I think so. We probably should go; at the rate he’s going, Nick’s probably half way there already.” They all laughed and we walked outside to their car. It was a black Jeep SUV, nothing incredibly fancy like Nick’s Mustang. Cameron drove with Nathan in the front passenger seat. Zach, Michael, and I say in the back with me squeezed in between them. That’s when their interrogation began.

“So Morgan,” Nathan began singing my name. “How old are you?”

“Turned eighteen last November.” I answered.

“Oh, we’ve got a baby on board!” Michael exclaimed.

“Baby on board!” Zach and Cameron shouted.

I laughed, “What are talking about? You guys can’t be over nineteen.”

“Oh, but we are.” Zach said. “Everyone except Nathan that is.”

“Hey! It’s only two months ‘til I reach my 2’s okay.”

“No way,” I said stubbornly. “I can believe that Michael is over twenty, but Zach and Cameron – no way.”

“Hey! Are you saying that I look old? Psh, I’m the flyest one in here.” Michael said, popping his collar.

“You better believe it. I’m twenty-one, loud and proud.” Zach said.

I was still laughing from Mike’s reaction when I responded. “What!? You too Cameron?”

He glanced at me in the rear view mirror, clear humor in his eyes. “No, twenty.”

My head fell back, “This sucks. But I still don’t believe it.”

“Why would we lie about our ages?” Zach asked laughing.

“I don’t know.” I whined. “To make you seem cooler than Michael over here.”

“Psh, I have more swag than all of you in here.” Nathan said, dusting off his shoulders.

“I’m going to stop this conversation before Nathan or Michael get bigger heads than they already have now.” Zach said, shaking his head. “Favorite band?”

“Hm, that’s a tough one…” I said tapping my chin. “I think Mayday Parade is a big one, but lately I’ve really been into A Day to Remember.”

“Really?” Zach said astonished. “We all like ADTR a lot too, Homesick is amazing.”

I smiled, “Totally. 'If it Means a lot to You' has basically been my anthem lately.”

We pulled into the parking lot of Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. Cameron was trying to back into a parking spot and I ducked to give him a better view out of the back window.

“No, you were fine. You didn’t have to duck.” He said as he finished parking.

I sat straight up, “I thought I was in the way.”

“No, you were good.” He said, catching my eyes in the rear view mirror, smiling.

“Are you two coming or are you just going to sit in the car and flirt some more?” Nathan asked, pushing the door open, hoping out.

Looking down as I blushed, I unbuckled my seat belt and slid out of the car after Zach. “Ignore Nathan. We all do.” He said to me.

“I heard that!” Nathan yelled back at us.

I just laughed and nodded to Zach and followed them inside. We met Nick and Samantha in the lobby and got shoes and our bowling balls. Apparently this bowling alley was known as a ‘celebrity hot spot’ and they had lanes in the corner for the ‘special clients’ away from the rest of the crowd.

It looked more like a lounge than a bowling alley though. The place had no lighting except for neon lights and party lights. Black lights lit the alley and the pins that lined the back wall. Every two lanes were sectioned off into little alcoves with its own couch for seating. Large screens stretched across the walls playing the music video that corresponded with the music that blasted through the speakers.

“How about we make this interesting?” Michael suggested as we put on our shoes.

“Like a bet?” Nick asked.

“No way. Cameron still owes me thirty bucks from our last bet.” Nathan said.

“I do not!” Cameron retorted.

“I wasn’t thinking of a bet anyway. More like, worst bowler buys everyone else pizza.” Michael suggested.

We looked around at each other and nodded. “That sounds like fun.” Samantha said. “Even though I haven’t bowled in a while.”

“What about the best bowler?” I asked curiously, my competitiveness growing inside. “What does she get?”

“He gets the satisfaction of being the best. He’s already getting free pizza.” Nathan said.

“How are you so sure it’s going to be a guy?”

“’Cause there’s only two girls out of seven of us. Plus, we all know I’m the best bowler here.” He said, jumping up, grabbing his ball, and walked toward the lane. The ball traveled a few inches before rolling into the gutter.

“Oh yeah, you’re right on your way to bowling a perfect game with that.” I said teasingly causing everyone to laugh.

“Well let’s see what you got.” Zach said. “’Cause right now you’re all talk.”

“I don’t advise challenging her. She’ll –”

“Shush Nick,” I said cutting him off, remembering our pool volleyball game at the barbeque before tour. I got up and strode up to the end of the perch. I lined up my shot and walked up to the black line, releasing the ball. It rolled straight toward the front pin, causing all of them to fall to the ground.

“She’ll do that.” Nick finished as I came back, smirking.

Everyone’s jaws dropped. “You hustled us!” Cameron said.

“Technically, I didn’t seeing nothing was bet.” I said laughing.

“But you wanted there to be.” He pointed out.

“Touché. That just shows that I tried to hustle you.” I said nodding, just as both Nick and Michael bowled spares. “But I’m not the only one that can hit ten pins.”

He smirked, “Touché.”

The rest of the night continued like that. It was fun. The Allstar Weekend gang goofed off and joked around all the while trying to get to know me. it was actually the most fun I had in a long time. Cameron and I had a lot more in common than I thought we would we had a twenty minute argument over the best Star Wars movie. Not even Jenn understood my obsession with the Force. In the end, it was Zach who was the worst bowler, but only by ten pins (Samantha pulled off two strikes in the last frame).

“I can’t believe I lost.” He said, dumbfounded.

I patted him on the shoulder, “Look at it this way, you only bought us pizza. It could’ve always been worse.”

He shrugged, “I guess.” He leaned in to whisper to me. “I think everyone cheated.”

Laughing, I pushed his shoulder playfully. “How the hell do you cheat at bowling?”

“I don’t know, but you all figured it out and neglected to tell me.” He said to me and jogged up to Michael and Nathan. We were all walking back to the parking lot to go home. We all had to get up to go to the studio the next morning.

Cameron came up from behind me. “Two questions,” He started, stopping in the entrance way. “Where are you from? I’ve been trying to place your accent all day.”

I blushed, “I never knew I had an accent, I’m only from Jersey.”

“That’s it!” He exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “I knew it sounded familiar. I always thought Jersey accents were cool.”

“Well, there are more than one, but that’s an explanation for another day.” I said smiling. “Question two?”

He smirked, “Why did Zach run into you at the studio? I mean, you never told us the reason why you were there.”

My expression sunk a little. “Oh um, I work there with my uncle, John Fields, the producer. I’m his co-producer and songwriter.”

“That’s awesome and you’re only eighteen, wow…” He said trailing off. “Well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, hope clear in his voice.

I smiled, “Sure, but maybe don’t run into me like Zach did.”

Cameron laughed, “Deal. Well, see you.” He said and walked off to his car where the guys were waiting, leaving me outside the bowling alley.

Just as I was about to take my phone to call Uncle John to pick me up, Cameron spun around. “Do you want a ride?” He asked, yelling halfway across the parking lot.

“I thought you said only two questions.” I responded smirking.

Cameron smiled widely, lighting his eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

I laughed and ran up to him to get into the car.

“Nathan, back seat.” Cameron said once we reached the car.

“What? Why?” He asked, sliding off the hood of the car. “I always get shot gun.”

“We’re taking Morgan home and it’ll be easier for her to get out if she didn’t have to climb out of the back.” Cameron said, pulling open the driver’s side door.

“Ooo, Morgan,” Michael said after we all piled into the car. “Nathan’s always in the front, you must be special.” Both Cameron and I stayed quiet as he pulled out of the parking lot, blushing like crazy.

Did I want to be special to Cameron? I glanced at him sideways as he drove. He was good looking, more than that even, and had amazing blue green eyes that can make any girl melt. He was nice and funny and we had a lot in common. He was great.

That’s when I decided, if Nick was going to move on, then so would I.