This is an idea that came to me while thinking about the episode "Boyz Crazy." Where did Robbie get that CD? And why did its subliminal messages work so well?
With it being a Thursday night, there wasn't a large crowd. Several regulars sat on bar stools, or congregated at small tables. Dim neon lighting provided enough light to move from one spot to the next. The building smelled like booze, cigarettes, and vomit.
After enough drinks the patrons were able to tune out the sub par band the owner hired for the night's entertainment. Robbie V. and The Tombstones played noise through the speakers that everyone talked over.
The lead singer and guitarist ended the angsty song on an odd choice for both the final note and piece. He looked up into the crowd and glared at the people not paying attention. From the closest table Old Man McGucket applauded the musicians.
Robbie scoffed. He tossed his hair and slung his guitar over his shoulder. The rest of the band packed up their instruments. A few patrons who were not as wasted as the others clapped when they saw the band exiting the stage.
Through the murmurs Robbie heard one buff man whisper, "Yeah, clap 'cause they're done." The friends he sat with laughed.
The group of four made their way to the bar.
"We gotta stop playin' bars, man," Julius groaned. "It's not our scene."
"Yeah, well the schools not gonna let us play anymore," Robbie spat. "Apparently our lyrics add to teenage angst." He sighed and sat on one of the stools.
The teen looked up at Leander, the man who occasionally filled in for the usual bartender. He finished cleaning a glass and placed it with the others. Robbie had met the substitute once before after a performance.
"Four sodas?" Leander asked.
The other three nodded. Robbie sighed and folded his arms atop the counter top. He turned his head away.
The dark-haired teen was surprised by a glass of cola placed in front of him.
"You look down tonight," the bartender said. "More than normal."
Robbie rolled his eyes. "Who cares, man, just give me my money, okay."
"Sure, just give me a few minutes," Leander said.
Since the establishment was meant for adults, anyone under the age of eighteen had to be payed outside the building. Leander would meet them out the back after he finished with his few remaining customers.
Leander pushed the glass closer to Robbie with a wink. "Maybe that can cheer you up." He leaned in and whispered, "Just don't tell anyone."
Robbie picked up the glass and tilted it back. He nearly choked at the added taste of Bourbon. He gulped down the drink and slammed it on the bar, demanding another.
Leander winked and refilled the boy's glass. He made sure to tell him it would be his last. Robbie agreed and took his time on that second special soda.
"That drink's not meant for a boy," said the man on the right of Robbie.
The teen nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the man who he was certain had not been sitting there a minute ago. He had brown skin that appeared older, but not wrinkled. His graying hair was slicked back with loose curls at the bottom. He wore an ash three-piece suit.
Robbie sneered at the older man. "Why don't you mind your own business, ya yuppie."
The stranger smiled. "I watched you on stage," he said and sipped his vodka on the rocks.
"What, are you some creeper, or something?" Robbie snapped.
"You were playing music on the stage, I simply watched," the older guy stated. He pointed with his pinky to the now vacant loft at the front of the bar. "You looked to be putting all your emotions into that last song."
Robbie scoffed. "Yeah, man, whatever," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He picked up his glass and downed the rest of the spiked beverage in one go. The empty glass was placed back on the counter louder than intended. No one needed to know he finished the lyrics of the finale song earlier that morning.
The stranger turned around on the stool and leaned his back against the bar. His right knee crossed over the left one.
"To me it felt like you were living out the heartbreak you sung so passionately about," he said. With a grin he peered over at Robbie who looked up at him with a lifted eyebrow.
"Who are you?" Robbie asked.
"Just someone who can feel when another is heartbroken," he said. He extended his hand. "You may call me Jil."
Robbie sneered at the outstretched hand. "That's a girl's name," the teenager spat and turned his away. He jumped off the chair catching the attention of his band mates.
"Who is she, Robert Stacey?" Jil asked. His words stopped Robbie mid step.
His blood chilled. The teen slowly glanced over his shoulder. The man had not moved, but his eyes were fixed on the guitarist.
"Who is the siren that lures you in from her throne, just to spit you out-guts and bones?" Jil asked, reciting the lines from Robbie's final song.
"She...she doesn't matter," Robbie said with a sigh.
Jil stepped down from the chair and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. Robbie glared and jerked his arm away. He faced Jil with fists clenched before him.
"Why don't we go talk in private, Robert, I might be able to help you," said Jil.
"I don't need your help," Robbie snapped.
Jil looked back at the bar to see Leander busy with another rush of customers.
"Your paycheck will be a while," Jil said with a chuckle. "Surely you'll indulge a fan."
Robbie looked back at his band mates then decided to follow Jil to a nearby table. From the bar the rest of the band watched their vocals and lead guitarist speaking with the stranger.
"I heard him praise our song," Julius said once the two subjects of their talk were surrounded by multiple conversations.
"Whoa! Man!" Josh exclaimed. "Is he a talent scout?"
"This could be good news, guys," Lewis added.
At the table Jil swirled his glass of vodka in his hand. He kept his eyes on Robbie who looked at him with disinterest. In honesty he wondered why he decided to sit with that stranger.
"So what happened between you and the siren?" Jil asked.
Robbie scoffed. "What do you care?"
Jil shrugged. He took a long sip of his drink. "You'll feel better if you have someone to vent to."
Robbie sighed. "Look, man, I stood her up for some stupid movie she wanted to go to, alright," the teen confessed. He sighed again. "It was a once in a lifetime gig for me and the band." Robbie looked down with a wrinkled nose and deep frown. "Not that it mattered. Those dorks wouldn't know good music if it bit 'em on the ass."
Jil laughed. "I would agree," he said. He pointed to the guitar Robbie kept in a protective case at his feet. "You're a talented musician. A bit too edgy for this town, I'd say."
Robbie groaned. He tossed his hair then said, "I won't stay here for long. Once I graduate I'll leave this stupid backwoods town and we'll make it big."
"And that girl?" Jil asked. "The one you stood up?"
Robbie sighed. "She broke up with me," he finally confessed.
Jil smiled. It had been what he waited to hear.
"I probably should've told her instead of getting wasted after our concert," Robbie said. He cringed at the memory of getting booed off stage. It didn't help that he drunk dialed Wendy six times after midnight. He couldn't even remember what he said to her, and she refused to repeat some of it.
Jil slowly sipped his beverage while watching the younger male.
"I just gotta try to win her back," Robbie said. He slammed his fists down on the table. "I mean she's just overreating, man. Women with their high-strung emotions."
Again Jil laughed at Robbie's behavior. He decided against calling the teenager on his hypocrisy. It would do nothing to help the situation.
"What do you plan to do about it?" Jil asked.
"I dunno, man," Robbie admitted. "I'll just write her a song." He picked up his trusty instrument. "But everything I think of is lame." Robbie leaned his forehead into his open palm and let the guitar case hit the floor. "Nothing that would make her take me back."
"So you care for her?"
"Of course," Robbie spat.
He pulled the wallet out the pocket of his skinny jeans. Inside was a smiling photo of Wendy. His heart swelled at the short-lived memories of him and his first girlfriend. He recalled the day of the fair when he first asked her out. He had cared for her eye and she promptly agreed to date him.
The picture was placed back inside, despite him wanting to shred it. He couldn't. It would mean throwing in the towel. How much he regretted signing up for the gig after promising to go on a date with Wendy.
"I made a huge mistake," Robbie finally said. "Nothing I write is good enough. Nothing that will make her forgive me." He leaned his face in his hands. "She'll be able to see through it."
"I may be able to help you," Jil said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a CD case. "I'm a bit of a musician myself."
Robbie scoffed. "Oh, what? Jazz lounge music? I'll pass."
Jil shook his head. "You shouldn't be so quick to judge," he warned. "Appearances can be deceiving."
"Save me the after school special, suit," Robbie spat.
Jil placed the case down on the table and slid it across to the teen. With a roll of his eyes Robbie looked down and took a double take.
"Sweet cover, man," Robbie praised. He peered over at the grinning stranger.
The gray CD case appeared to be bound in stretched skin, sewn on by pieces of red rope. The teen hesitated to pick it up. He winced at the rubbery feel beneath his fingers. The demonic face on the front cover grimaced at him. A skull sat in the center of the face's open mouth.
"This isn't real skin, is it?" Robbie asked.
Jil laughed. "I'll take it as a compliment."
Robbie rolled his eyes. He turned it around to see the back empty save for more flesh-like binding. A chill ran through him.
"Let your girl hear this song, and you'll be the siren," Jil revealed.
Again the teen scoffed. "Right, what a load of nonsense," he said and threw the case back down on the table. Robbie stood, screeching his chair against the wooden floor.
"It's subliminal messages are powerful," Jil said as the boy walked by him.
Robbie stopped in his tracks. Everything inside him warned and begged him to move. However, a smaller part desired to stay behind and listen to what the man had to offer.
In the end he decided to move on. The boy walked out of the bar, no longer caring about the small amount of money that cheapskate bar owner would give him for his services.
His feet halted when he watched the group of his peers walking down the sidewalk. Among the group was Wendy. She appeared to be doing fine despite their recent break up. None of his friends noticed him, and for once he was glad. He dreaded to hear what she told them. At the very least Tambry would chew him out for it.
The twelve-year-old boy who walked in synchrony with Wendy said something that made the redhead laugh. On the other side of his ex was the boy's sister who skipped and yelled about something that supplied the entire group with laughter.
Robbie put his hand over his aching chest. With gritted teeth he watched the group walk out of his viewing range. His fingers grazed the edge of the brick wall. Even if he continued to hang out with his social circle, things would never be the same between him and Wendy unless he found a way to make her fall in love with him again.
Any good deed would take too long and she could always argue that he only did it for her approval. Wendy was not the one to be persuaded by material items. The best option would be to chase her down and serenade her with an original composition for her, but he hadn't the time for that.
The door to the bar opened behind Robbie. The musician stepped out of the way only to see Jil making his exit with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets.
"Even in the summer, the evenings here are chilly," Jil commented.
"Your CD," Robbie said without looking at the other man. "How does it work?"
Jil grinned. "It's simple, Robert," he said. The item was plucked from his jacket and stuffed in the boy's hoodie pocket. "One listen and she'll be captivated."
Robbie knew it was bad idea. If Wendy ever found out the truth she'd never forgive him. She wouldn't even take him back as a friend.
"And you're just giving it to me...for free?" the teenager asked.
Jil chuckled. "Nothing is free, boy," he said. He walked on ahead. "In one year's time I'll be back to collect my payment."
Robbie's heart skipped. He pulled the CD from his hoodie and stared at its case again. He gritted his teeth then looked out only to see Jil nowhere in sight.
The wind crept over Robbie. He tightened the strings around his hood and shivered in the night. Deep within his gut he knew he made a mistake. However it was his best shot. He took a deep breath and walked back inside.
Come tomorrow Wendy would be his again. The CD tucked within his hoodie guaranteed it.
So I hope you all like the first chapter. This is my attempt at writing a horror story.
I don't think it was ever mentioned why Robbie stood Wendy up on their date, so I'm just making something up.