Chapter 4
They walked down Queen's Quay. They could here the shrieks and laughter of the anxious crowd waiting for the doors to open.
Knowing they were entering dangerous territory, all three of them simultaneously pulled the hoods from their sweaters onto their heads. They stopped and looked at each other, quizzically.
"Dudes, we need to find more friends," Speid cracked. "We spend far too much time together."
They managed to make it past the crowd unscathed. They went to the door where they ran into a security guard.
"Hey, we're on the list," Speid explained. He gave the guard their names and after clearing them on the clipboard, were granted access to the club. They saw Jude sitting on the edge of the stage, her long legs lightly swinging back and forth. She was chewing on her bottom lip as she thoughtfully scribbled in a notebook.
Kyle grinned and turned to his friends. He brought a finger to his lips. "Shhh…be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits!" He whispered, doing his best Elmer Fudd impression. He crept up to Jude, who was so absorbed in her writing that an earthquake couldn't phase her. In one swift motion he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.
Jude screamed in shock, which got the attention of Big Lou, who was talking with the club security.
"HEY!" He bellowed, and lumbered over.
Kyle's smile faded. "Shit." He took off running in the opposite direction, Jude still slung over his shoulder. She was laughing, now knowing it was her old band mate. She was trying to call off Lou, but all she could utter between gasps of air was "No."
Speid and Wally ran to catch up with the giant bodyguard and both jumped onto his back.
"Don't make him angry! You wouldn't like him when he's angry," Kyle shouted over his shoulder.
Lou stopped running. "Wait a second. I know that voice!"
Speid and Wally jumped down and Lou spun to face them. He pointed a huge finger at Speid's face. "You!"
Speid grinned sheepishly, as Wally gulped. "I like you Big Lou?" Speid offered.
Lou glowered, making them more nervous. Kyle had set Jude down and they went to watch the events unfold. After a tense stare down, Lou broke out into a huge grin. "Well if it isn't my favourite rock'n'roll wimps." He wrapped two enormous arms around Speid and Wally and lifted them effortlessly into a giant bear hug.
They coughed and gasped for air.
"N-nice to s-see you too!" Wally gasped patting Lou on his arm. Lou set them down and turned to face Kyle.
"And you are one lucky motherfucker," he said. "I've hurt people who even LOOKED at Jude wrong."
"Yeah, the record label really appreciated the lawsuit," Jude said dryly. She looked excitedly at her three friends. "Guys, I know it's been a long time, but how about a blast from the past? A Jude and SME encore?"
"What about your band?" Kyle asked, hesitantly.
"They aren't my band…I mean, they are…but they aren't you guys," Jude explained, her big blue eyes pleading.
"Well, if you cared that much, why didn't you call?" Kyle demanded. Jude looked hurt
"Dudes, come on, it'll be fun. And we still know the songs we played with her back in the day," Speid said. Wally and Kyle looked at each other. Speid swore they had telepathy. Finally they nodded.
"Why not? For old time's sake!" Wally declared.
Jude squealed. "Thanks guys!" She kissed them all on the cheek. "Let's go over our set list!"
They followed Jude backstage and after much deliberation, they decided on That Girl, Me Out of Me, and Anyone But You.
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"Thank you Toronto!" Jude hollered in to the mic, after reclaiming the stage for the encore. "I have a little surprise that I know you old schoolers will be stoked about. I ran into some old friends today, you may have heard of them…Speiderman Mind Explosion!"
The crowd cheered loudly as Wally, Kyle and Speiderman ran onto the stage. They armed themselves with instruments and Speid broke into the opening chords of That Girl.
They were electrifying. It was just like old times, Speiderman and Jude's harmonies blended as perfectly as they did six years ago.
As Anyone But You winded down, Speid beamed happily. He loved his career as the front man of his band, but the great memories of backing Jude came flooding back. The crowd roared as they all bowed before leaving the stage.
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Backstage, they all hugged and Jude bounced around giddily. "That was so awesome!" She shrieked. "You know this calls for a celebration."
"Yes dude!" Kyle agreed.
Jude pleaded with Lou to let her go out without him.
"Aight, but you better keep your phone on. And If I call and you don't answer, I swear-"
"Yeah, yeah Hulk Smash, we get it," Speid interjected, grabbing Jude's hand and yanking her away. Lou shook his head and laughed as he watched the four of them leave the club.
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They ended up at a small Irish Pub and found a table. Jude called Lou to inform him of her whereabouts as Speid ordered a round of beers. They all chatted happily, making up for last time.
"Alright, I think I owe you guys an explanation for going AWOL," Jude said, as she finished off her fifth pint.
Kyle, Wally and Speid looked at her expectantly.
Jude took a deep breath. "When I left for London, I…I needed to find myself," she began.
"Oh God, not a 'finding myself' speech," Wally groaned, and gulped his beer. Speid swatted the back of his head. "OW!"
"Seriously guys, before I left I was so absorbed in my relationship with Tommy and the drama at G Major, that I didn't even know what I wanted anymore. I mean, I know I wanted to be a musician, but I had to take a chance. I couldn't have my safety net there anymore," Jude explained.
"Which is why you dumped Tommy," Kyle retorted matter-of-factly.
"Harsh dude," Wally scolded.
"You guys where my safety net too!" Jude protested.
"Now that we're on the topic of Lord Squinty Frown…?" Speid asked, a little cautiously.
"He called me a few times after I first left. I didn't answer. Haven't talked to him since," Jude answered. "I feel bad after all we've been through, but I couldn't get a real fresh start without him. Do you guys know what he's up to?"
They all shrugged. "Last we heard, after G Major went bankrupt, he signed on with EMI Toronto," Speid said. Jude nodded.
"Good for him," she stated. She flagged down the waitress and ordered a round of Jager bombs. "Hey, do you guys still have 620?"
"Yep, that is where yours truly is now residing," Speid responded.
"Ew," Jude shuddered, crinkling her nose. "Don't get me wrong – awesome jam space, not so awesome living space."
Speid laughed. "Well, it's only temporary. I'm renting out mine and Karma's house. If I ever track it down and finalize the divorce I'll sell it and buy something a little nicer with my half."
"I can't believe you're getting divorced," Jude said.
"Yeah well, don't really have a choice, do I?" Speid responded, bitterly. Jude smiled sympathetically, and rubbed his arm. Speid tried to ignore the electric shocks that jolted through his body.
Kyle and Wally glanced at each other. "Well, look at the time, we should be going," Kyle said, looking at his watch-less wrist. Him and Wally threw their shares of the tab on the table
"Smooth dude," Speid said, rolling his eyes. Kyle shrugged and left to hail a cab with Wally.
"I should get going too," Jude said. Her eyelids were getting heavy from a mixture of road exhaustion and booze. Speid nodded and paid the rest of the tab.
"I'll walk you back to the club," he offered. Jude grinned drunkenly and grabbed Speid's hand. Speid suppressed a smile as they left the bar.
