Status: prewritten 12 chapters and counting.
Painting Flowers
Chapter 9
“This is Washington Square Park.” I said, smiling. “I thought you’d like it.”
“Like it? Ash, this is amazing!” Alex exclaimed, walking over to a heavily tattooed man playing piano. I waved when he caught my eye, making him smile.
“You know him?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, this is Mike. He lives in the apartments across the street. He wheels this piano down almost every day to play.” I told them as I steppe up to put a couple bucks in his bag. I stayed to watch Mike finish his song while the others roamed the courtyard in awe of the talent. Jack still had his arms around me.
“Who’s your friend?” Mike asked when he finished his song.
“Mike, this is Jack. Jack, Mike.” The boys shook hands. “Jack’s in the band I went to see last night. So the other three.” I said, looking around for them. They were all talking to Sam and Will.
“That’s awesome!” Mike grinned. “So when am I going to hear that voice of yours again? Your fans have been asking about you.” He laughed. I felt Jacks eyes on me.
“Maybe tomorrow?” I answered evenly. “Speaking of fans, I’ll let you get back to yours.” I said, stepping back and taking Jacks hand. I led him across the square towards the others.
“Voice?” Jack questioned.
“I guess.”
“When can I hear it?” He wasn’t going to let this go but I hoped he wouldn’t mention it in front of the guys.
“So apparently our gracious host has been holding out on us.” Alex grinned as we approached. Too late.
“Yeah, I just heard.” Jack responded.
“Come on, Ash.” Will called from his seat on the edge of the fountain.
“No. No, no, no, no and no. Not a chance in hell.” I looked at the four boys in front of me.
“Not even if it was Remembering Sunday?” Alex asked, giving me a puppy dog look.
“Oh, that’s just not fair! Sammi, you sold me out!”
“Tough luck.” She tossed me her acoustic. Almost immediately, a crowd formed.
“I’m only singing Juliet’s part.” I told Alex. He smiled and sat down next to me on the steps. I started playing the familiar chords as Alex began to sing. Jack was recording on his iPhone and Zack was back to playing photographer. Behind Jack, I saw three girls enter the park under the arch. Daniella, Tawny, and Claire were walking towards me. I grinned. I stood up without missing a single chord on the guitar and took a breath. I was singing with Alex Gaskarth in Washington Square Park in front of quite a large crowd. Fuck her. I belted out the last verse to the song, knowing from experience that my voice carried throughout the park. By the end, all the boys jaws were on the ground and Daniella was shooting daggers. The whole place was cheering as Alex finished the song and there was now a ridiculous amount of cash in Wills bucket. I grinned. “You know where it goes.” I told Sam, handing the guitar back.
“Always.” She smiled. “Have fun, today. I’ll see you in class, tomorrow.” I waited for the boys to extract themselves from the crowd that, by now, had recognized them and played with my charm bracelet nervously.
“That was…” Rian started when they found me.
“Incredible.” Zack finished.
“Brilliant.” Alex added.
“Why didn’t you tell us you could sing like that?” Jack asked.
“You never asked.” I answered simply. They all laughed.
“Hey, what’d you mean when you told Sam ‘you know where it goes’?” Rian asked as we walked through the gate towards the main campus.
“All the money I get out here goes to To Write Love on Her Arms.”
“Are you serious?” Zack looked surprised.
“Mhmm. I started doing this a few years ago and had no idea the income I’d get. I don’t need it so I saved it and kept track of how much I made. When Jamie spoke on campus a year later, I got to talk to him afterwards, did some quick math and wrote him a check for every bit of it. I haven’t stopped since.”
“I bet that floored him.”
“Oh yeah, he thought I was mental. I mean, not many 17 year old can just hand out $7,000.” I shrugged. Jack just wrapped his arms around me in response.
“So, how much have you given to them since then?” Alex asked, still in awe.
“Well, I’ve been singing here for four years now and I know the money’s gone up since I was 16 so…I don’t know…maybe 35, 40 grand?”
“Holy fuck.” Rian murmured, making me laugh. By now, we were walking down Waverly towards Soho. I wasn’t quite sure why we were going there, but I didn’t think the boys would mind. It’s an awesome district and we could stop somewhere for lunch.
“Like it? Ash, this is amazing!” Alex exclaimed, walking over to a heavily tattooed man playing piano. I waved when he caught my eye, making him smile.
“You know him?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, this is Mike. He lives in the apartments across the street. He wheels this piano down almost every day to play.” I told them as I steppe up to put a couple bucks in his bag. I stayed to watch Mike finish his song while the others roamed the courtyard in awe of the talent. Jack still had his arms around me.
“Who’s your friend?” Mike asked when he finished his song.
“Mike, this is Jack. Jack, Mike.” The boys shook hands. “Jack’s in the band I went to see last night. So the other three.” I said, looking around for them. They were all talking to Sam and Will.
“That’s awesome!” Mike grinned. “So when am I going to hear that voice of yours again? Your fans have been asking about you.” He laughed. I felt Jacks eyes on me.
“Maybe tomorrow?” I answered evenly. “Speaking of fans, I’ll let you get back to yours.” I said, stepping back and taking Jacks hand. I led him across the square towards the others.
“Voice?” Jack questioned.
“I guess.”
“When can I hear it?” He wasn’t going to let this go but I hoped he wouldn’t mention it in front of the guys.
“So apparently our gracious host has been holding out on us.” Alex grinned as we approached. Too late.
“Yeah, I just heard.” Jack responded.
“Come on, Ash.” Will called from his seat on the edge of the fountain.
“No. No, no, no, no and no. Not a chance in hell.” I looked at the four boys in front of me.
“Not even if it was Remembering Sunday?” Alex asked, giving me a puppy dog look.
“Oh, that’s just not fair! Sammi, you sold me out!”
“Tough luck.” She tossed me her acoustic. Almost immediately, a crowd formed.
“I’m only singing Juliet’s part.” I told Alex. He smiled and sat down next to me on the steps. I started playing the familiar chords as Alex began to sing. Jack was recording on his iPhone and Zack was back to playing photographer. Behind Jack, I saw three girls enter the park under the arch. Daniella, Tawny, and Claire were walking towards me. I grinned. I stood up without missing a single chord on the guitar and took a breath. I was singing with Alex Gaskarth in Washington Square Park in front of quite a large crowd. Fuck her. I belted out the last verse to the song, knowing from experience that my voice carried throughout the park. By the end, all the boys jaws were on the ground and Daniella was shooting daggers. The whole place was cheering as Alex finished the song and there was now a ridiculous amount of cash in Wills bucket. I grinned. “You know where it goes.” I told Sam, handing the guitar back.
“Always.” She smiled. “Have fun, today. I’ll see you in class, tomorrow.” I waited for the boys to extract themselves from the crowd that, by now, had recognized them and played with my charm bracelet nervously.
“That was…” Rian started when they found me.
“Incredible.” Zack finished.
“Brilliant.” Alex added.
“Why didn’t you tell us you could sing like that?” Jack asked.
“You never asked.” I answered simply. They all laughed.
“Hey, what’d you mean when you told Sam ‘you know where it goes’?” Rian asked as we walked through the gate towards the main campus.
“All the money I get out here goes to To Write Love on Her Arms.”
“Are you serious?” Zack looked surprised.
“Mhmm. I started doing this a few years ago and had no idea the income I’d get. I don’t need it so I saved it and kept track of how much I made. When Jamie spoke on campus a year later, I got to talk to him afterwards, did some quick math and wrote him a check for every bit of it. I haven’t stopped since.”
“I bet that floored him.”
“Oh yeah, he thought I was mental. I mean, not many 17 year old can just hand out $7,000.” I shrugged. Jack just wrapped his arms around me in response.
“So, how much have you given to them since then?” Alex asked, still in awe.
“Well, I’ve been singing here for four years now and I know the money’s gone up since I was 16 so…I don’t know…maybe 35, 40 grand?”
“Holy fuck.” Rian murmured, making me laugh. By now, we were walking down Waverly towards Soho. I wasn’t quite sure why we were going there, but I didn’t think the boys would mind. It’s an awesome district and we could stop somewhere for lunch.