Chapter #1 :: Memories of old songs
A/N: (Some clarifications before you start reading)
Yes, Black Pearl is my version of R5, the name has a reason that would be explained at some point (maybe) But I think you pretty much know why/where it is from, don't you? ;) Membres:
Jeff - Riker Lynch
Jane – Rydel Lynch
Jackson – Ellinghton Ratliff
Jamie – Rocky Lynch
Josh – Ross Lynch
(Not really in the band) Jay – Ryland The songs are also R5 songs: Ready set rock, Take you there, Heat is on, Always (just mentioned) What do I have to do?, Without you. And you can hear them here while you read the chapter (link) [[get the link on my tumblr: phandomlimb]]
"TONIGHT: Black Pearl"
Reads the advert outside the bar, making Jeff smile before walking through the door behind his siblings.
"Hey, guys! Is awesome having you here." Says the woman at the counter as they walk in, her voice is so familiar to Jeff that he doesn't need to turn around to look at her to know who is. But he does, because honestly he had been waiting for this moment for almost five years.
There, in front of him is Mrs. Miller, or Abby, as she prefers them to call her. She and her husband are the owners of the bar where the band is playing tonight.
"You look so big now…" and the first years ago. "Jess you are so beautiful and you guys all handsome; not that you weren't before, but you know what I mean." She says with a wide smile when all of them make their way towards the counter.
"Thanks, Abby! You look so beautiful too, your dress is lovely." Jess, Jeff sister, says smiling.
"True. If you weren't like a mother to me, I will date you." says Jamie with a wink. Mrs. Miller pretends to be scandalized to hide her blush and everyone laughs… until they are interrupt for someone clearing their throat. "… Or married." He adds, seeing Mr. Miller behind them.
After they have a really long talk about how three months later after they played at the bar for the first time one of the companies they had send a demo called back saying they were interested on singing a contract with the band, Mr. Miller told the guys they should get ready for the show. And so they do.
On the back room, after a little sound check, Jess is filming around the place, "For the old times," she says. James and Josh are helping her to recreate one of theirs old "Black Pearl navigate the internet" videos.
"Is crazy," Jeff thinks, "be back at the Miller's, back on this room, with a contract, a few EP's and about to realize their fourth album. Totally crazy."
Jay, his youngest sibling, get into the room, interrupting his thoughts and announcing they should get out and play.
The place is smaller than the ones they play now at, but yet, Jeff feels more excited and nervous, and he thinks it's kind of dumb but also makes him happy. Because is the same way he felt years ago.
"Fog light out of sight..." Jeff sings happily, waiting for the moment their fans recognize what song it is.
"High tops lace it up converse chucks tight…" and they do. The crowd excitedly scream and sing alone with them through all the rest of the song.
"Don't stop till you rock the spotlight up
The sky high can you take the limelight?
Strobe lights slow-mo vibe in overdrive
Sure the crowd tide scream-o ride on amplify"
"Now, that was awesome!" Josh says when the song finishes." That song is so special to use because is the one of the first ones we wrote, with lots of dreams in our heads and… and now we are here, and that's mostly because of you guys…"
"Especially Mr. and Mrs. Miller for let us play here that first time" adds Jackson. And the couple screams "Of course" and "No problem" from their places attending the clients, and everyone laughs.
"So emotional," teases Jamie. "Let's keep rocking before we all end up crying, okay?"
He receives a "Yeah!" from the crowd and so they continue with the concert.
"I got an idea!" says Jess when they have already played five more songs. Everyone looks at her, "We all should pick a song, an old one, and play it… then everyone follows."
"Sounds like fun!" agrees Jackson.
"It should be… with Josh forgetting the lyrics and all" Jamie jokes, and his brother throws the rest of his bottle of water at him.
"Calm down, you're going to get electrocuted." Jeff reprehends them, chuckling "Who picks first?"
"Me!" shout Jackson and Jamie at the same time, except the first one does the count down with his drumsticks, claiming his victory.
"I'm the type of guy that likes to stay out…" he sings and mostly of the crowd, the ones that aren't too busy trying to recognize the song, gets really excited because he not usually sings, not as a main voice after all.
"There's something special dancing all night…" Jackson continue, Jamie starts playing his guitar and Jeff can see the looks on the Miller's faces as they finally recognize the song (their favorite Black Pearl's song, they said on their earliest chat). He also joins playing and the same time Josh and Jess do.
"'Cause the world's a space
Look at all the beauty you see
I'm right here where you want me
I'll take you to a place,
Best thing that has ever been seen
Come on baby, take a chance with me
Oh-ooo-oh
I can take you there"
The song ends and soon Jamie is playing the intro of the song he picked, making sure no one else has the chance to do it before him.
"The heat is on… On the street…" he sings and Jeff can't help but shake his head chuckling, because well, how could he think they wouldn't guess the song too soon when the first words are the name? "And the beats so loud, deep inside."
"The pressure's high… just to stay alive." The oldest joins, singing at the same time Jamie and Jess do.
As same with the last song, soon everyone (including the crowd) is singing. And so they do with the songs selected by Jess and Josh.
Jess picks 'Always', surprising the band because they were pretty sure she was going to pick 'Never' but, "I knew you were expecting that…" she explains with a smirk.
Josh election is 'What do I have to do?' and Jeff has to admit it kind of hurt listen to it, and yes it doesn't really make sense because is not a sad song like other ones, but is the first song Jeff wrote for Him and just listen to it make the blonde have lots of memories; good and bad ones.
. – Flashback – .
Jeff is laying on his bed at Dalton, already done with his homework for the weekend thanks to David's help, and he notices then how quite is the Academy on Sundays when mostly of the students are at home and he has listened to all the songs on his ipod. "Is also boring" he adds to his thoughts.
"Maybe I could write something…" he thinks, searching for a cool beat o his 'for futures songs' list on his head. He finds one, taping his foot on the bed and his hand in his thigh, his humm's changing every now and then until he finds a combination that he likes.
Twenty minutes later he is on the music room the Academy has and all the students can use if they are members of the club; the only reason Jeff joined said club.
Sitting on the couch there, Jeff tries to recreate the beat on his head with one of the guitars. It takes him a while and even when he still not sure it is perfect, he decide to move on and start with the lyrics.
And so he thinks what he could write about:
friends
girls
how he miss been at home
Which leads to:
his parents
siblings
He goes back at top of the list he just wrote on his notebook ant scratch out 'girls'. He isn't feeling in the mood to write a song about that gender. And instead he writes 'boys' next to it.
Jeff had come out as bisexual last year, but lately he has noticed that he likes boys a little bit more than girls. ("No, that I go to a school full of boys has nothing to be with it!" he constatly argue with Jamie)
It doesn't take long for him to find a specific guy to write about and before he knows, he has almost half of the song, only deciding to stop when the bell for dinner goes off, hopping to see 'his muse' there.
. – End flashback – .
"What do I have to do to be the latest choice?... Oooh…" the song ends and is pretty clear that Jeff has a lot in his mind and he just played on autopilot because Jamie has to asks him a second time what song he picks.
"Uhm..." Jeff babbles, coming back to reality and then he is walking to the side of the stage, as in going to the back, receiving confusing looks from the rest of the band and the public.
"What happened?" asks Jay, obviously worried and confused.
"I need an acoustic guitar." Jeff says as an explanation, handing his bass to the youngest boy. Jay doesn't make more questions, although Jeff knows he wants to, and gives him the instrument.
Jeff doesn't usually play the guitar, he loves playing the bass and it is also Jamie and Josh instrument, but he knows that he need to do it for the song.
On the main stage, his siblings and Jackson are joking about the way Jeff just walked away, that's it. And when the oldest goes back to his place, stage left / audience right, everyone is waiting for what he is going to do.
Jeff adjusts the microphone for him to sing and also the one Bill, "the sound man", put for the guitar. The blond thanks him, clears his throat at the same time he tries some chords to make sure the sound is good.
"You are on my mind, every night…" he starts singing. "And in the morning when I wake."
Jeff would be laying if he says this is the last song written for Him, because even now, years later, he stills write about those moments with Him and honestly, Jeff doesn't know it he is going to stop doing it at some point.
"I just can breathe
without you without you
I'm so lonely
without you without you
I just can't be"
"'Cuz today you are all I need…" he finishes the song and thinks that maybe, just maybe, the lyrics are true, and all he needs is Him.
TBC... Any kind of feedback is always welcome. See you soon with the next chapter!
