Sequel: Fallen Embers ›
The Fire
Awakenings
Sabrina hung up the phone and grumbled to herself. She hated when Toby was right and he was right often enough to bother her. Sabrina took a minute to call her partner and cousin Chris to let him know that she wouldn’t be coming out to the barns today, but would see him before he went home for dinner.
She went to her bedroom to check on how she looked. Luckily for her she could go out in public where she lived since she was local and have lived in the area since she was twelve years old so no one really bothered her. The plus side was that it was early and the mall had just opened up; so it would be deserted that early in the day on a week day.
After pulling her hair back into a pony tail and putting on a baseball cap and brushing her teeth; she grabbed her coat and went outside to her SUV. Sabrina climbed into her winter vehicle; her 2005 4 wheel drive Chevy Equinox. She had just bought it last month and had just gotten it back from Benchmark Audio who upgraded her sound system into something that would rival what she used on stage. She put in one of her new favorite CDs; ‘Red, White and Crue’. As the beginning notes of ‘Live Wire’ started, Sabrina smiled as she turned up the sound system.
The 20 minute trip to the mall flew by as Sabrina sang along with alone to the songs at the top of her lungs. She smiled when she pulled up along side of cars at traffic lights and they would give her a crazy look. Sometimes the people would recognize her and sometimes they didn’t and that suited Sabrina just fine. She thanked her lucky stars that she never tried to be elusive from the gossip rags and in exchange she wasn’t hunted down like an animal every time she went out.
The blonde parked near the Sear’s and opened the doors that led into the mall. Looking around, she noticed the mall was indeed deserted and set out to enjoy some hours of retail therapy. Sabrina poked though the stores window shopping and not really finding anything of interest until she went into the music store Sam Goody’s. She was approached by a sales man and asked if he could be of service.
“A good friend suggested to me to listen to Green Day’s newest CD, American Idiot. Care to point me in the right direction?” she asked sweetly.
The salesman looked at her and a puzzled look came over his face. Then he looked at her funny and said “Yes, Miss Sanders; Green Day CDs are right over here,” he stuttered. “I would have thought that you could just get their CDs for nothing since your band Derringer is also on Reprise.”
“Oh, I didn’t know we were label mates. I prefer buying a CD just like anybody else would. How do you think we rack up those gold and platinum records?” she said with a wink.
The salesman smiled and led Sabrina to the rack that held the Green Day CDs. She flipped through all the CDs to find the one she wanted. Sabrina took her prize up the register while whipping out her black American Express card to pay for it. The salesman gasped as he had only heard of the famous invitation only to high rollers card and never thinking he would ever see one in person.
As Sabrina took her sales slip, she asked if they had any promo signs of her or Derringer, and if there was if she could see it. The flustered man went into the back of the store and within a few minutes came back with a large life size cutout of her that was from the last CD the band made. The salesman got an even more surprised look on his face when Sabrina reached into her jacket and pulled out every celebrity’s best friend; a black Sharpie marker. She proceeded to autograph the cardboard cut out and when she finished; she smiled at the man and walked out of the store to head back toward her SUV.
As she got into her SUV, Sabrina decided to drive up the four lane to listen to her new CD. Even though she was driving; it was Sabrina’s favorite way to listen to music. The open road; not many big twists and turns; along with a Diet Pepsi in her hand to her was the best way to enjoy music. Sabrina stopped a convenience store to gas up to grab her soda and within minutes she was headed westbound up Interstate 86. She popped in the CD and soon the beginning chords of ‘American Idiot’ filtered through the sound system.
“Wow,” Sabrina said out loud to herself. “This is going to be a good listen.” When Jesus of Suburbia started she found herself hooked on Green Day, not unlike her best friend Toby. The CD went through its songs and before long Sabrina got off an exit to grab another soda and turn back around to head towards home. After hearing the end of ‘Letterbomb’, the first notes of the baleful sounding guitar started ‘Wake Me up When September Ends’. As she listened to Billie Joe Armstrong sing the haunting lyrics; her mind went back to a September many years ago when her son was born and lost.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Sabrina started to cry as she listened and sobbing she pulled over and blindly fumbled for her cell phone. She couldn’t even see the keypad as she dialed the California number that would connect her with Toby. She didn’t even give him a chance to say hello, because as soon as she heard the click of the pickup she started screaming at him.
“What the fuck Toby?” she screamed. “Did you know about this September Ends song? Jesus Christ Tobe, I had to pull over I got crying so hard. You know that I lost Matthew in September, did you think it might have been nice to warn me?” she raged.
“Nope, I didn’t want to warn you, you needed a shock to your system,” he said quietly to Sabrina. “I know it might have been hard to hear, but you really haven’t dealt with Matthew’s death at all; expect for that ‘Live to tell’ song you wrote 5 months later. I am doing this as your friend Sab. You seem to be heading down a dark road, not unlike the one you traveled many years ago. I don’t want you going there again. I did this for you, to kinda wake you up.”
Sabrina sighed as she undid her pony tail. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed again. “I want to quit Derringer, Toby. Contractually I have fulfilled my obligations to the band; I want out. I want to make music like this. Real rock and roll, not that fake pop shit that Derringer jams down my throat. I’m done; I need and want a change, Toby. I am tired of doing shit for everyone else, just how they want it done. I am tired of losing myself in the process. I want to make music I like, how I like and everyone else be dammed.”
Sabrina sighed again as she felt the huge weight life off her chest as she spoke to her manager. “I am coming out to LA; I need to get a life again Toby. Start grabbing me tickets to events and awards and shit. I need to come out of hiding but I am doing it my way. No dresses, stylists or shit like that. It will be me, just me, as me, in leather pants or Levi’s, with a corset or tank top, my studded belts and a good pair of cowboy boots. The press and suits can take me or leave me,” she declared to her manager.
“You want to want to be the minority, you don’t need their authority, down with the moral majority, ‘cause you want to be the minority?” Toby smiled and chuckled.
“Yup, something like that Toby. You and your Green Day lyrics,” Sabrina laughed out loud at her friend. “Call the jet and have it ready in an hour and a half. I’m flying out to LA now. Pick me up at the airport hanger Toby. Also call my housekeeper out there and let her know that I’m going to be staying at the house,” Sabrina ordered.
“Yes Ma’am, Ms. Sanders, ma’am,” Toby barked back.
“Later Shithead, see you in a few hours.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
Sabrina was laughing by the time she hung up the phone. She then un-paused the CD player to finish listening to the song ‘Wake Me up When September Ends’. She pulled back onto the four lane and finished her drive home while listening to the rest of the CD. She laughed out loud at the lyrics in ‘Homecoming’ and felt the lyrics of ‘Whatshername’. When the CD ended she played it again from the beginning and bounced her head to the music the rest of the way home.
A few hours later Sabrina was in the air on her own jet listening to her iPod. Before she left the farm she downloaded Green Day’s entire repertoire from iTunes from 1039/Smooth up to American Idiot. As she listened to songs that were written when than band were in their teen aged years to the material that was written only a year or so ago; she was amazed at the depth of the songs.
She went to her bedroom to check on how she looked. Luckily for her she could go out in public where she lived since she was local and have lived in the area since she was twelve years old so no one really bothered her. The plus side was that it was early and the mall had just opened up; so it would be deserted that early in the day on a week day.
After pulling her hair back into a pony tail and putting on a baseball cap and brushing her teeth; she grabbed her coat and went outside to her SUV. Sabrina climbed into her winter vehicle; her 2005 4 wheel drive Chevy Equinox. She had just bought it last month and had just gotten it back from Benchmark Audio who upgraded her sound system into something that would rival what she used on stage. She put in one of her new favorite CDs; ‘Red, White and Crue’. As the beginning notes of ‘Live Wire’ started, Sabrina smiled as she turned up the sound system.
The 20 minute trip to the mall flew by as Sabrina sang along with alone to the songs at the top of her lungs. She smiled when she pulled up along side of cars at traffic lights and they would give her a crazy look. Sometimes the people would recognize her and sometimes they didn’t and that suited Sabrina just fine. She thanked her lucky stars that she never tried to be elusive from the gossip rags and in exchange she wasn’t hunted down like an animal every time she went out.
The blonde parked near the Sear’s and opened the doors that led into the mall. Looking around, she noticed the mall was indeed deserted and set out to enjoy some hours of retail therapy. Sabrina poked though the stores window shopping and not really finding anything of interest until she went into the music store Sam Goody’s. She was approached by a sales man and asked if he could be of service.
“A good friend suggested to me to listen to Green Day’s newest CD, American Idiot. Care to point me in the right direction?” she asked sweetly.
The salesman looked at her and a puzzled look came over his face. Then he looked at her funny and said “Yes, Miss Sanders; Green Day CDs are right over here,” he stuttered. “I would have thought that you could just get their CDs for nothing since your band Derringer is also on Reprise.”
“Oh, I didn’t know we were label mates. I prefer buying a CD just like anybody else would. How do you think we rack up those gold and platinum records?” she said with a wink.
The salesman smiled and led Sabrina to the rack that held the Green Day CDs. She flipped through all the CDs to find the one she wanted. Sabrina took her prize up the register while whipping out her black American Express card to pay for it. The salesman gasped as he had only heard of the famous invitation only to high rollers card and never thinking he would ever see one in person.
As Sabrina took her sales slip, she asked if they had any promo signs of her or Derringer, and if there was if she could see it. The flustered man went into the back of the store and within a few minutes came back with a large life size cutout of her that was from the last CD the band made. The salesman got an even more surprised look on his face when Sabrina reached into her jacket and pulled out every celebrity’s best friend; a black Sharpie marker. She proceeded to autograph the cardboard cut out and when she finished; she smiled at the man and walked out of the store to head back toward her SUV.
As she got into her SUV, Sabrina decided to drive up the four lane to listen to her new CD. Even though she was driving; it was Sabrina’s favorite way to listen to music. The open road; not many big twists and turns; along with a Diet Pepsi in her hand to her was the best way to enjoy music. Sabrina stopped a convenience store to gas up to grab her soda and within minutes she was headed westbound up Interstate 86. She popped in the CD and soon the beginning chords of ‘American Idiot’ filtered through the sound system.
“Wow,” Sabrina said out loud to herself. “This is going to be a good listen.” When Jesus of Suburbia started she found herself hooked on Green Day, not unlike her best friend Toby. The CD went through its songs and before long Sabrina got off an exit to grab another soda and turn back around to head towards home. After hearing the end of ‘Letterbomb’, the first notes of the baleful sounding guitar started ‘Wake Me up When September Ends’. As she listened to Billie Joe Armstrong sing the haunting lyrics; her mind went back to a September many years ago when her son was born and lost.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Sabrina started to cry as she listened and sobbing she pulled over and blindly fumbled for her cell phone. She couldn’t even see the keypad as she dialed the California number that would connect her with Toby. She didn’t even give him a chance to say hello, because as soon as she heard the click of the pickup she started screaming at him.
“What the fuck Toby?” she screamed. “Did you know about this September Ends song? Jesus Christ Tobe, I had to pull over I got crying so hard. You know that I lost Matthew in September, did you think it might have been nice to warn me?” she raged.
“Nope, I didn’t want to warn you, you needed a shock to your system,” he said quietly to Sabrina. “I know it might have been hard to hear, but you really haven’t dealt with Matthew’s death at all; expect for that ‘Live to tell’ song you wrote 5 months later. I am doing this as your friend Sab. You seem to be heading down a dark road, not unlike the one you traveled many years ago. I don’t want you going there again. I did this for you, to kinda wake you up.”
Sabrina sighed as she undid her pony tail. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed again. “I want to quit Derringer, Toby. Contractually I have fulfilled my obligations to the band; I want out. I want to make music like this. Real rock and roll, not that fake pop shit that Derringer jams down my throat. I’m done; I need and want a change, Toby. I am tired of doing shit for everyone else, just how they want it done. I am tired of losing myself in the process. I want to make music I like, how I like and everyone else be dammed.”
Sabrina sighed again as she felt the huge weight life off her chest as she spoke to her manager. “I am coming out to LA; I need to get a life again Toby. Start grabbing me tickets to events and awards and shit. I need to come out of hiding but I am doing it my way. No dresses, stylists or shit like that. It will be me, just me, as me, in leather pants or Levi’s, with a corset or tank top, my studded belts and a good pair of cowboy boots. The press and suits can take me or leave me,” she declared to her manager.
“You want to want to be the minority, you don’t need their authority, down with the moral majority, ‘cause you want to be the minority?” Toby smiled and chuckled.
“Yup, something like that Toby. You and your Green Day lyrics,” Sabrina laughed out loud at her friend. “Call the jet and have it ready in an hour and a half. I’m flying out to LA now. Pick me up at the airport hanger Toby. Also call my housekeeper out there and let her know that I’m going to be staying at the house,” Sabrina ordered.
“Yes Ma’am, Ms. Sanders, ma’am,” Toby barked back.
“Later Shithead, see you in a few hours.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
Sabrina was laughing by the time she hung up the phone. She then un-paused the CD player to finish listening to the song ‘Wake Me up When September Ends’. She pulled back onto the four lane and finished her drive home while listening to the rest of the CD. She laughed out loud at the lyrics in ‘Homecoming’ and felt the lyrics of ‘Whatshername’. When the CD ended she played it again from the beginning and bounced her head to the music the rest of the way home.
A few hours later Sabrina was in the air on her own jet listening to her iPod. Before she left the farm she downloaded Green Day’s entire repertoire from iTunes from 1039/Smooth up to American Idiot. As she listened to songs that were written when than band were in their teen aged years to the material that was written only a year or so ago; she was amazed at the depth of the songs.