Better Man

Caroline Woods stood on one of the many large rocks that line the edge of Treasure Island, looking out at the Bay before her; the San Francisco skyline beyond that. The cool wind whipped through her straight, dark brown hair as if a tropical storm were brewing. With her hands in her jeans pockets and the daylight sun beating on her bare arms, she turned her head slightly to look at her three best friends in the world.

Nick, Nefthali, and Dave.

They'd been at her side for the last three years. The four of them, together, working toward their American dream of becoming the next big thing America had to offer in the music business. Armed with a guitar, a bass, a drum set, and a singular, yet distinctive, voice...The Sinners would conquer the world, as well as the hearts and the spirits of those who inhabited it.

But first, they needed a record deal.

* * *

SAN FRANCISO, CALIFORNIA
Four months later...

Cramped together in a small, three-room apartment in the City By The Bay, the alternative rock band known as The Sinners were contemplating whether or not they'd made the right decision in packing up everything they owned to make the trek across the grand ole USA, leaving behind the only home they'd ever known.

Buffalo, New York.

It was the City Of Good Neighbors. But this group of four didn't want good neighbors. They wanted a recording contract with a major label, and that was something they couldn't get in their small city. Sure, New York City would've been closer, but it wasn't them. They would've only become lost in the hustle and bustle. One in a couple million trying to make it. And then there was LA, with all the fake-n-bake tans, silicone breasts, and power naps by the pool.

Nah, San Francisco...Oakland...Berkeley. This was where they wanted to be. This is where their hearts had told them to go. And, sure, it was hard, but they were determined.

They'd never been lucky with getting breaks. They started out doing Open Mic Nites at coffee shops, garnering themselves a small buzz about Buffalo until they were able to get gigs at small bars, and then bigger bars. They'd even been offered a deal with an independent label, with which they'd pressed only one album before the small record company went belly-up. The Sinners were more than pissed off, but they knew that had simply been a stepping stone to something bigger.

They were sure of it.

Two years into being a band, Caroline was dealing with her immediate family moving to Raleigh, North Carolina when her father's job transferred him. They said she was more than welcome to join them, but she couldn't leave what she'd been working toward. It had been the first thing in her life she was most proud of since graduating with an associate's degree in music four years prior.

Although moving in with her grandmother and only having to help pay the utilities, Caroline spent most of her time at the guys' apartment in the city, not all that far from the small, suburb home she was residing in. And more to the point, she would sleep over in Dave's room, who she had been kinda sorta seeing on the downlow. But after a few weeks, their relationship wasn't all that secretive.

The loving looks here and the lingering touches there revealed more than they had been planning to. And fortunately for them, it wasn't looked down upon by the other two in the band, although it proved to be slightly conflicting as time went on.

To not only rehearse, create, (most of the time) live with...and then add dating them exclusively, made the strain on their all around relationship difficult.

They came to the realization that if they really wanted to get out of Buffalo and focus on their collective dream, they couldn't be solely attached to just one other person in the group. It had to be a 'marriage of four,' so to speak. And, so, they parted as friends, but remained strong in their bond as bandmates.

And now, here they were, sitting in a circle on the floor in one of their three rooms, looking from one to another, with faint smiles on their lips.

"You think any record execs are gonna be there tonight?" Nick Konsta, the bassist, asked. He was the youngest of the four. Only twenty-three.

Dave sat back against the wall under the window that had a view of the street and line of narrow apartment buildings across the road. "Well, I think so. It's a Battle Of The Bands contest hosted by the local radio station. There's gotta be someone there from a major label."

"Here's hoping," Caroline added, raising her 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi as if in salute.

The three guys looked at their female, lead singer and raised their own respective bottles of Pepsi.

"Here's to us," Dave began. "A new day is dawning, and we will be there to see the sun rise, as it hits us with its rays of light, anointing us as if the very finger of the Fates, bestowing us with the good fortune to come."

"I'll drink to that," Caroline smirked, taking a swig of Pepsi.

"If only this were a Heineken, instead," Nef joked.

They all let out small laughs and it was then that they knew there was officially no turning back.

* * *

Standing backstage with the other bands waiting to perform was a nerve-wracking experience. Always was. So many others with the same goal. To win. To get the monetary prize. First place always offered more in the way of funds. Something of which every starving artist (i.e., The Sinners) needed for random things like food, rent & utilities, gas, new guitar strings, picks, or drum sticks. Shit like that which they tended to need a lot for. Not to mention putting it toward studio time to record demos.

Fortunately for The Sinners, they still had extra copies of their only independent record to sell before and after the show.

While practically biting her nails off in nervousness, Caroline jumped slightly when Nefthali 'Nef' Radilla, the 25-year-old drummer, tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, shit, you scared me, Nef," Caroline remarked.

"Sorry. But guess what I overheard."

She stared at him for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say. "Uh...Nick found some clean underwear and decided they were gonna be his lucky pair?"

"No," Nef shook his head with a big grin. "There's about three record execs out in the audience tonight. I heard they're scouting. Doesn't matter if the judges like us or not. They'll most likely be going on how hyped we get the crowd and how catchy our song is."

Oi. Just what Caroline needed. More pressure. As the frontwoman, everyone would be looking at her to lead the others. "Oh, joy," she remarked dryly.

"Hey, Caroline," came Dave's voice. At 27, the guitarist was the oldest one in The Sinners, and very much the best looking. He really had that whole Johnny Depp look going for him.

"What?"

"I just spoke with one of the judges from the radio station and they said we're supposed to have two songs, not one."

"Now they tell us," she rolled her eyes.

"I know," he frowned. "One song has to be original, and then they want the second song to be a cover."

Sighing, Caroline shrugged. "Alright. Which song should we cover?"

"One we know best is my suggestion," Nef said with a nod.

"Well, duh. How about..." Caroline trailed off. "Well...it should rock."

"'My Sharona?'" Nick suggested, just joining their circle.

"Nah, I don't like how it trails out and gets wimpy at the end," Dave shook his head.

"'I'm Not Okay?'" Caroline wondered.

"'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' by My Chemical Romance?" Nef asked, making sure he understood correctly.

"Yeah. That one. We could rock that one."

The four of them looked around at each other, considering Caroline's suggestion. With a silent agreement, they all decided that would be their best choice.

And then...their name was called to go out on stage.

* * *

"...I'm not okay / I'm not okaaaaaay / I'm not okaaaaay / You wear me ouuuutttt!" Caroline sang out, bouncing on the stage, between Nick and Dave, while watching as the crowd before her swayed and jumped along with her.

They were opening with the cover and as soon as it was over, they went into their own original song 'Social Disaster' which left Caroline jerking around the stage, doing her best to get the audience as pumped as she was while never losing her musical flow.

Finally, their tiny set came to an end, and they were sent off stage to the sound of cheers from the audience following after them. Full of smiles and sweat, the foursome hung back, as the next band went out to play, while getting a few congrats from the other bands that had already played.

And, for some strange reason, the last band that went on after The Sinners, seemed to take forever, drawing out their set by opening with Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' Their original song was just awesome, something of which Caroline and the guys wouldn't admit out loud. The song was catchy and even had several people backstage singing along after only the first verse.

So, it wasn't any big surprise when that last band took first place, receiving a check for five thousand dollars.

But, as luck would have it, The Sinners were declared second place (a.k.a., runners up), taking home a check for one thousand dollars. The four of them were beaming so much with the glow of winning anything at all. So much so it pretty much distracted them from realizing anyone was trying to get their attention until there was a tap on Caroline's shoulder.

"Excuse me." Caroline, followed by her three best friends, turned around to face a tallish, stocky man who was balding slightly and wore glasses. Dressed simply in a dress shirt and a pair of jeans, he offered his hand to Caroline first. "I got a hold of one of your CDs before the show and went out to my car to listen to it, and then actually seeing you four play live...well, let me say you surprised me by being able to pull off performing awesomely with both mediums."

Caroline gave a shy smile as she shook the man's hand. "Uh, thanks," she smiled. "I'm Caroline Woods, and these are my bandmates: Dave Jozwiak, Nick Konsta and Nefthali Radilla. I, uh, I don't think we got your name."

"That's because I didn't say," he smirked. "Name's Rob Cavallo. I'm here on behalf of Warner Bros. & Reprise Records."

The four members of The Sinners stared expectantly at Rob.

"Let's talk..."