Hi. A few quick notes to share: I wrote the next few chapters this week and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about them...I'm not sure what happened, but I started to write, not having a sense as to where I was going, and I created this great part of the story that's coming up in the next chapter or two. Because I loved it so much, I decided to condense this chapter a bit to get to the good stuff sooner. From here on out, it looks like each chapter is going to be a little longer so I can move the story along faster. I hope no one minds!
Also, I've never done an actual shout-out to any of my reviewers, but I have to make a quick point to Erin McKinley (aka Petra). This week, she re-read and re-reviewed every chapter in The Blackout. Her comments were hysterical, particularly since she had already read everything. Thanks for all of the feedback and for entertaining me!
Ok, so without further ado, here's our next part, which jumps ahead a little in our story to about 3-4 weeks after the whole fight with Tommy. Hope you ENJOY :-)
Beginning the following day and into the next few weeks, Jude felt herself floating from place to place, her life becoming one long list of to-do's with an overwhelming sense of apathy. School, studio, home, and then back again. At each place, she did exactly what was asked of her, with little to no motivation.
She wasn't sleeping at all and had barely eaten a complete meal. Her grades all dropped, failing four tests in four weeks, which triggered her mother's constant scolding. But she didn't care. The only thing she could do was write. She wrote hours upon hours, random phrases or lines, thoughts that kept entering her mind. She didn't share any of the music with Tommy. In his presence, she attempted to construct more upbeat chords, though all of her creations lacked any kind of heart or passion that her previous music had.
At the studio, Tommy tried to maintain his distance in an effort to make the situation any ounce easier. Conversation never went beyond the music and he couldn't help but notice the sadness in her eyes and how frail she looked. He wanted to make her understand that he wasn't giving up, that he wanted to be with her more than anything, but he didn't dare approach the subject, not wanting to risk upsetting her more.
Meanwhile, EJ had arranged for more dates with Josh in an attempt to recover the disastrous situation with Tommy. They attended movie premieres and events together, constantly trying to recreate the act that they were an item.
"Now, here's a picture I like to see," said EJ, sliding a newspaper over to Jude. She picked it up hesitantly, not knowing what to expect, and saw the picture in the middle of the "Out on the Town" section. There she was at a club with Josh dancing wildly with her eyes closed. She let out a chuckle at the picture and passed it over to Georgia, who laughed as well. Georgia then passed it over to Tommy, who glared at the picture and irritably threw the paper back on the table.
"It's good to see the two of you are back on track," Georgia said, patting Jude on the back. Jude nodded and glanced over at Tommy who was looking right at her. Their eyes met briefly, until Jude quickly turned back towards Georgia.
"So Jude, we have some news for you. Have you heard about the new club opening downtown, Glow?"
"Sure, it's been all over the papers," Jude responded.
"Well, we've booked you as their opening night gig," Georgia said with a smile.
"Opening night? As in, the night it officially opens? That's huge!" Jude exclaimed.
"I know. It's all courtesy of Darius and his industry connections," Georgia explained. "Anyway, the opening is on Friday night. I know it's last minute so you'll need to prep right away. You're going to be doing a full set—10 songs plus two encores. It's a lot, so you better get ready."
"Wow, that is a lot," Jude said distantly. "I haven't put on that big of a show since the tour."
"Exactly. So I suggest you rest up and work with Tommy to select the songs."
Great, Jude thought, getting up from her seat and silently following Tommy into Studio A. I don't know what's going to be harder—getting a full night's rest or working with Tommy.
"I think Not Standing Around should go before Let Me Fall."
"Well, I don't. And I'm the producer, so I win."
"Well, I'm the artist and the one doing the performance. So you can disagree all you want, but when I get up there, I win."
"I don't think that's how your contract works, Jude."
"Really? So it says that you have free reign over everything and that I can be dropped if I don't do what you want?"
"No…not exactly…"
"Okay, good, then it's settled."
"No, it's not. Jude, this is supposed to be a joint decision, not just yours."
"Yes, I know, Tommy, but you'll just have to learn to accept disappointment."
At that, she rose from her seat and left the studio, grabbing her guitar on her way out. As she started to close the door, he shouted at her,
"Nice pictures, by the way! Good to know that you and Josh are doing well!"
She turned towards him through the glass in the door and rolled her eyes, then hastily made her way to Studio C, leaving a frustrated Tommy staring at the set list they had created.
Watching her walk off, he grabbed the pencil from the table and angrily wrote on the sheet of paper "Not Standing Around" on the line before "Let Me Fall." He got up from his seat and exited the room, heading towards Georgia's office.
"Hey," he said, approaching her desk and holding out the paper, "I just wanted to give you the set list for Friday night."
"Thanks," she said, taking it from his hand. She quickly reviewed it and put it down on the desk. "I'm assuming Jude is okay with these songs?"
"Yes, she's fine with it," he agreed, walking back towards the door.
"Tommy?" Georgia called, watching him start to leave. "Come back in. I think we need to have a quick talk."
He took a deep breath and retreated back into her office, closing the door behind him. He took a seat in the black chair in front of her desk.
"What's up?" he asked, hoping the conversation had nothing to do with a certain artist who was getting under his skin.
"It's Jude," Georgia started, noting his tensed expression at the sound of her name. "I think there's something going on with her."
"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"She doesn't seem like herself lately. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint it, but these last few weeks, she's just been…different. Do you know what I mean?"
He swallowed and looked at her skeptically. "No…I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"She looks drawn and exhausted. And unhappy. I'm worried about the quality of her performance on Friday."
"I wouldn't worry, G. Whatever's bothering her, I'm sure she won't let it affect her performance."
"I don't know…I've seen her sad before, but never like this," Georgia said thoughtfully. She looked over at Tommy and noticed his rapidly tapping foot and pulling at a hole in his jeans. Her suspicions grew at the sight, realizing that the conversation was, for some reason, making him uncomfortable. She slowly stood up, approaching the front of the desk and leaning against it.
"If you knew something about why Jude was looking so down, you would tell me, right?" she asked.
Tommy looked away, glancing at the pictures on her wall. "Yeah, sure," he answered distantly. He looked back at her and met her questioning gaze. "Okay, the only thing I know is that we've been arguing a lot over the past few weeks."
"About what?" Georgia asked, crossing her arms.
"Stuff," he answered vaguely. "Music stuff mainly."
"And that's it?" she asked.
"Umm…yeah…" he answered, not looking her in the eye. She knew that he was hiding something.
She sat down in the chair next to him and pulled it over so he couldn't avoid her gaze.
"Tommy, would you tell me if there was something going on between you and Jude?"
He put on his best confusion act, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if your relationship with her goes beyond the studio, would you tell me?"
"Well, we're friends…"
"That's not what I meant," she answered firmly, looking into his eyes. "Would you tell me if you two were more than friends?"
He panicked, looking into her eyes and knowing that she could read him like a book. Feeling the anxiety take over his system and the sweat start to bead at the edge of his forehead, he nervously nodded his head in agreement that he would tell her.
She leaned back in her chair and continued to look at him, clearly flustered at her question. "You know, I did get you this job to help you out, Tommy. So if you're withholding anything—"
"I'm not," he said quietly, looking down at his shoes. "I know you've helped me a lot Georgia, but this isn't something I know anything about."
She nodded hesitantly. "Okay, if you say so. But as both your friend and your boss, I'd like to think that if something were bothering you, you could come to me."
"Thanks, Georgia," he muttered quietly, standing up to leave.
She watched him exit the office, heading off faster than he entered. She smiled and walked back to her chair behind the desk, sighing and looking over the set list he had handed her.
"That boy," she mumbled to herself, "has got it bad."