Hey hey everyone!
After various distractions and complications this story is back.
Thanks so much to reviewers: BlueFlower21, pink-strawberries, M M Forever, DarkAngelGaurd, lilanimegal00, and PrincessJaded! Six reviews? I think that's a new record for this story. It's be great to set another one for this chapter, hint, hint, *wink*.
Special dedication of this chapter to M M Forever. She has graciously allowed and helped me to use her character in this story. In addition she pre-read this story to edit it. Now I think this story is better than ever! Thanks so much M M Forever! You rock harder than Mount Rushmore and it's made of rock!
Well enough of this. I don't own digimon. I do own this story but I must give partial ownership to M M Forever for helping me with this.
Off we go, R&R!
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Matt took off the headphones on his head.
"Thanks so much for being here man." Said Dave Scott, a radio show host. "Hopefully you can hit up our radio station when you're in town again."
"Well we'll see." Said Matt.
"We got a lot of callers for this show segment, Matt. I think people really like you." Said Dave.
"I hope so." Replied Matt.
"Good luck to you man. I hope you have a good show here in Seattle. Don't forget to listen to our station. We're 103.3." said Dave.
"I will, thanks again."said Matt heading out the door.
"No, thank you." Said Dave in his deep radio persona voice.
Matt walked out of the radio station. He hoped he hadn't sounded too stupid. He had heard the radio show he was on had upwards of 80,000 listeners. That was a lot of people. He was encouraged that a lot of people called in. Matt always enjoyed talking with fans.
Matt checked his watch. It was only one in the afternoon. He had a few hours to kill before the whole band was supposed to appear at some media event. He couldn't remember quite what it was he just knew he'd need a suit.
He looked around the streets of Seattle. He wasn't really sure where to go. He'd never been to Seattle before. So he just walked around down the street. It was a nice day and Matt wanted to enjoy the city.
After walking for a while he found something that interested him, a music museum. Matt went in to take a look. The museum had some interesting stuff: a guitar sculpture, some instruments you could play around with and some rock artifacts. One of the things that particularly interested Matt was a Jimi Hendrix exhibit. He had forgotten Hendrix was from Seattle. Hendrix had been a favorite of his since Matt had started playing. Hendrix had such a unique style.
Matt was perusing the various items in the exhibit when he saw a pink flash out of the corner of his eye. Could it be?
"No it couldn't be." Matt tried to say to himself.
All the same he had to check. Matt peeked around the corner. Matt saw a woman wearing a red, white, and blue dress. On top of her head was a familiar neatly trimmed pink plume of hair.
"Mimi?" Matt asked the mystery girl.
The figure turned showing her face. She had sunglasses on but her face was still unmistakable.
"Matt!" exclaimed Mimi, "What are you doing here?"
"Just paying homage to one of the greats of guitar playing," Answered Matt, "What are you doing here?"
"Same thing. Honoring a great musician." Answered Mimi.
"I didn't know you liked Hendrix."
"Well I like all sorts of music. Classical, country, rock, pop, alternative. Anything that's good music."
"Wow I'm impressed."
"Thank you. How was your interview this afternoon?"
"Good, I think. I just hope I sounded okay. What'd you do this afternoon?"
"I had some photo shoot for a teen magazine for an article they're doing about me I have to host the teen music awards later this week you know."
"Teen music awards, eh?"
"Pretty funny, huh? You're going to have to be there too, you know. I'm singing 'sixteen' to kick off the show."
"Okay. I do have quite a bit of experience performing in front of screaming teenagers from high school."
"I barely ever went to class in high school. I spent all my time running around with my friends from Zephyr Roses. All we cared about was music. It's a good thing our music became popular. Otherwise I'd probably be washing dishes or something"
"Yeah? Well where's your fan club?" Matt asked "Usually there's always a crowd of people following you."
"I'm sorta trying to avoid them. That's why I'm wearing these sunglasses. Hopefully people won't recognize me."
"If you wanted to disguise yourself, you'd need a lot of hair dye or a razor. I'm pretty sure the only girl out there that has pink hair."
"Hmmm. Maybe I should get a hat. Speaking of clothes what are you wearing for the banquet dinner?"
"I dunno. I only have that one suit I brought. So I guess I'll wear that."
"But you wore that for the last big event. We should get you another one."
"What's wrong with wearing the same one?"
"Nothing if you want to look one dimensional. You need to show that you're more diverse than that. C'mon! Let's go shopping!"
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Matt watched as Mimi sprinted around the store picking out things for Matt to try on. He had told Mimi she didn't need to do this. Mimi, however, was very insistent and Matt wasn't adamantly against spending time with her. So Matt followed Mimi to the mall. After a little of Matt's resistance when Mimi brought back shirts and ties, Matt would dutifully go to the changing room to try things Mimi told him too.
"This is so much fun! Aren't you having fun Matt?" Mimi asked sifting through a rack of shirts.
"Sure it is…" said Matt, "Though it'd be great if you decided on something soon. Do I have to try on everything in this store?"
Matt had never been that into dressing up. His usual wardrobe consisted of jeans and graphic or band tee shirts. When he wanted to dress up he put on a blazer.
"Well not everything. I'm just getting the good stuff for you." Said Mimi.
"But we've been at this for an hour. When are we going to be done?"
"When we get a good look at everything on you. Then we'll figure out which looked best."
"Everything? I barely remember what I last tried on."
"But I remember every one. Now why don't you try on this turquoise shirt. I think it's a winner!"
Matt sighed. Why'd he have to have a weakness for Mimi? He went dutifully to the dressing room. Mimi inspected him as he came back out.
"Hmmmm," Mimi looked on thoughtfully, "Stay right there!"
Mimi returned with a black tie. The tie had a few textured patterns and glass dots that shone under the light. Mimi fixed it to Matt's neck and stood back.
"Alright! That's a good one!" she exclaimed.
"So can we go now?" Matt asked hopefully.
"No, we have a bunch more stores to go to."
"Stores!?" Matt exclaimed.
He sighed as Mimi grabbed his arm and ran across the mall, shopping bags in hand.
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"Alright, Mimi. We've been to all your stores now we're going somewhere I want to shop." Matt said getting into a taxi with Mimi, "Driver, take us to Northwest Guitars in Bellevue."
Matt entered the store and just took a whiff. It was good to be in a store that didn't smell like too much cologne and perfume, just the smell of aged wood and guitar polish.
"Wow there sure are a lot of guitars." Mimi said looking around the store.
"Yep, and we're not leaving till I try out at least as many guitars as clothes I did today." Said Matt.
"Fine. I'm going to go look at the acoustic guitars."
Matt loved being in guitar stores. It was like being a little kid in a candy store and just picking stuff to try. Each guitar was different in the way it felt and sounded. That's what Matt loved, like every guitar had it's own personality. After a while he decided to go check on Mimi.
Matt found her in a room with a bunch of acoustic guitars playing and singing.
"I feel like I'm blind
There's this fog in my mind
That won't seem to clear
I want a reprieve
So that I can believe
That you're really here." She sang as she strummed the strings on the guitar.
Matt grabbed a guitar and played along with her. Matt joined her singing at the chorus.
"Where are you now?
I'm taking shots in the dark
Hoping one hits your heart
But I can't know for sure
Don't know if I can endure
Not seeing clearly where we are."
Matt and Mimi finished the song singing in unison. They heard clapping as they stopped. Matt opened his eyes and noticed a small crowd had gathered around them to listen. Matt smiled and clapped too, occasionally stopping to point at Mimi. Mimi did the same for Matt.
"Not too shabby." Said Matt.
"Not at all." Replied Mimi, "Oh and I picked out something for you as a thank you for trying on all the clothes I brought for you."
Mimi leaned over and picked up a guitar case. She handed it to Matt.
"You didn't have to do this." Said Matt opening the case.
Inside was an electric guitar. The light from the store room reflected off it's sparkling pink exterior, giving it a iridescent pink glow. Matt eyed the guitar then looked up at Mimi. She snickered to herself.
"I really don't know what to say." Said Matt staring at the guitar and furrowing his eyebrows.
"Just say you'll use it at our next show!" said Mimi.
"No way." Said Matt shaking his head with a slight grin.
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"Thanks for going shopping with me. It seems like Shawn and I never do that anymore." Mimi said stopping at her hotel room door.
"Well, it was fun, at times." Matt said holding all the 'gifts' Mimi had gotten for him.
"Yeah? Be sure to wear the outfit I got for you tonight!" said Mimi.
"Sure, sure."
"Thanks again," Mimi said, "I had a great time!"
Matt had been staring into Mimi's auburn eyes all while she was talking. Then after she finished talking, Matt leaned towards her and, without thinking, kissed her on the lips. Matt looked into her eyes again to see shock.
"I'm sorry," Matt started to apologize.
Mimi shut the door without saying another word.
"Uuuhhhhh! That was so stupid!" Matt kept thinking to himself as he pressed his fingers against his forehead. At the moment it felt right. Now with some hindsight Matt wished he could take it back. Matt knocked his knuckles against his head, wondering how he could have made such a huge blunder.
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The banquet was to honor the anniversary of some sister record company to Sonic Revolution. It was mostly just a bunch of speeches and a presentation about the company's history. Matt was wearing the outfit Mimi picked out for him. He slouched back in his chair. Mimi was avoiding him. He couldn't blame her. He did come on pretty strong. Matt looked at her at another table. Mimi made eye contact with him but then looked away. Matt sighed. He felt like he had ruined something special.
After the show he tried to catch Mimi before she left. She managed to elude him, so Matt looked around for someone to spend the night with. He wouldn't be able to stand the torture going on in his mind alone.
Matt hit up a nearby bar and scanned the room for prospects. He saw something he liked and sat next to her.
"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" Matt asked her.
The girl turned and her long brown hair glided from her back onto her shoulder. She was well proportioned and her blue-green eyes glittered in the light.
"Depends on who's asking," She said, "Hey are you Matt Ishida? The guitarist from Mimi Tachikawa's band?"
"Guilty as charged." Replied Matt.
"In that case, sure, that'd be great. Just a Strawberry Daiquiri'll be fine."
Matt signaled the bartender for the drink and ordered a shot of whiskey for himself.
"So what brings you to the bar?"
"Just looking for some company."
"Thank you," Said the girl to the bartender then taking a sip of her drink, "Looks like you found some, I'm Heather by the way."
"Good to meet you, Heather." Matt said.
"So since when does a rockstar like you need to find company? Shouldn't people be flocking to you?" Heather asked.
"Well the company I was hoping for is sort of not talking to me."
"What do you mean? Who?"
"Mimi Tachikawa." Matt said sheepishly.
"Mimi? Wow, shooting for the moon are we?"
"Yeah, I think we might have something though and I don't know that I've felt this way about anyone in a long time."
"What happened with you two?"
"I sorta kissed her. I don't think she returned my feelings because she slammed the door in my face after that. Now she's avoiding me."
"You did come on pretty strong. Why don't you tell me more about how you and her have interacted?"
"Okay.."
Matt started from when he met Mimi at the party. Heather listened intently. Matt finally finished at where they were now.
"That Shawn guy sounds like a real pain." Commented Heather, "But I wouldn't tell Mimi that. It won't win any points with her right now."
"Okay. Well enough about me. What about you?" Matt asked.
"Well I'm studying to be a music major right now."
"Music major, eh? Do you think you'd like to come up to my hotel room and help me with one of my songs?"
"That sounds great!" said Heather excitedly.
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Inside the hotel room, Matt rummaged through some stuff looking for his notebook. Heather wandered around the room looking at various odds and ends.
"Hey is that a burn mark on your arm?" Matt asked as papers flew around him.
"Yeah, it is. I got some boiling hot soup spilled on me when I was little." answered Heather.
"Why didn't you get surgery or something to have it removed? Don't you worry about what people will think?" Asked Matt.
"Not at all. People do stare at me some but I believe what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," said Heather with confidence, "This should mean I'm stronger than most people."
"Hmm alright." Matt said.
Matt noticed that Heather made no conscious effort to hide her mark now that he' mentioned it. Heather did seem strong. Matt envied her confidence. He'd been at the mercy of what people thought after being in the music business for so long. He wished he could confidently come out as himself more.
HIs thoughts were interrupted when he found his notebook.
"Here's what I've got so far." Matt said handing her the notebook.
Heather scanned the lines critically.
"It looks alright but now let me hear it." Heather said handing the notebook back to Matt.
"Okay," Matt said grabbing a guitar.
Matt cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and strummed the guitar. He hummed a melody for an intro then opened his mouth to sing.
"I lost myself at your show last night
Looking at the sparkling eyes
In the middle of a fresher crowd
You keep living like you're a movie star
But tell me who you really are
When the lights go down
Baby you're a glitter doll
On the radio
I dissolve in the stereo
You've got me
You've got me coming back for more."
"Well that's all I've got for now. I'm stuck on what to do for a chorus." Said Matt
"Hmmmm. Mimi's nickname is the princess of pop right?" Heather asked.
"Yeah?"
"Well how about pop princess?" thought Heather aloud, "Tell what you think of this: Pop princess hold my hand, pop princess I'm a fan."
Matt repeated the words a few times.
"That sounds good." Said Matt writing things down in his notebook.
"Then maybe: Pop Princess I need you now, pop princess make me smile, pop princess drive me wild."
"I'd like it if we rhymed 'now' with something."
Matt started to try to think of something saying the suffix: '-ow' with different starting letters. Matt finally settled on 'out'.
"Freak me out?" suggested Matt.
"Turn me inside out!" Heather said in reply.
"I like that!" said Matt writing the words down.
Heather and Matt kept going back and forth with lines for lyrics. After they were satisfied with a few bars, Matt would try to play something on the guitar to go with it. Matt was enjoying this. Usually Matt wrote lyrics alone and always felt self-conscious about his lyrics. Now that he had someone to collaborate with writing was much easier.
"Okay let's try the chorus again." said Matt.
Matt started playing his guitar. He and Heather sang together. The sound of their voices was like Matt and Mimi's but unique in it's own way.
"That sounds great Matt. I can't wait to hear it when you record it for real. You're really talented" Said Heather sitting down next to Matt.
"Yeah," said Matt, "Thanks for your help."
Heather rocked side to side humming the melody from Matt's song. Matt put down his guitar and put his hand on Heather's neck. He pulled her closer as he moved closer himself. Their lips met, Matt closed his eyes to savor it. Heather dealt with the situation much differently. Her eyes were wide open and she pulled away as fast as she could.
"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?!" Heather exclaimed.
"Well, I just thought…. I thought that was why you came with me." Answered Matt scratching his head.
"I came with you to help you with your song! I like you Matt, but not like that. I'm saving myself for the right guy." Said Heather.
"I'm sorry," Apologized Matt, "I guess I've been hanging around with groupies too much. I forgot that there's some self-respecting girls in the world."
"It's okay. Just don't do that again," said Heather, "You know you shouldn't be hanging around groupies if you want to win Mimi. Girls don't really like their guys to have umm… 'other interests'."
"Oh, you're probably right," Matt admitted, "Though right now I'm not quite sure if I can even win her over."
"Look, Matt," Heather said sitting down next to Matt again, "If you want to win Mimi over you have to first, apologize. You have to realize you can't just act on your own feelings you have to consider Mimi's feelings and respect them."
"Alright…"
"Then just be honest with her about how you feel. Then leave it up to her to decide the future of the relationship. If she wants just to be friends just leave it at that."
"You really think that'll work?" asked Matt.
"Yeah. I'm a girl aren't I?" answered Heather.
"Yeah," Agreed Matt, "So you want to stay here for the night?"
"No, I don't think so. I should go anyway to let you think."
"If you say so. Thanks for all your help. Thanks to you things are starting to look better." Matt said.
"Anytime. Call me and let me know how things go okay?" said Heather.
"Sure thing."
"Then I'll talk to you later." Said Heather heading out the door.
"Bye." Said Matt.
"Bye." Heather said as the door closed
Matt heard a "Good luck!" echo through the hallway. Heather was gone. He sighed and considered what had just happened. He had gotten much more than he bargained for. He'd just been looking for a distraction to forget about his complicated situation. Now instead of a distraction he had hope that everything might still turn out right.
"That was way better than any groupie I've been with," Matt thought to himself.
Matt mulled over Heather's advice.
"Will it work?" Matt asked himself.
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Hmmm, an interesting question Matt. Guess we'll have to find out the answer next time.
Please let me know what you thought. As iron sharpens iron, so other writers opinions sharpen writing.
Thanks for reading! And thanks again to M M Forever!
