Chapter 2. Run to You
Vert sat on the couch in his apartment, his phone in hand and his guitar laid out next to him. It was his day off and AJ was still at class so he decided it was a good time to tune his guitar. Vert didn't really consider himself a serious musician. He'd initially picked it up to impress some girl back in high school, which didn't end up working, yet he stuck with it anyways. He knew chords and could play through a couple of songs, but that was about it. He could read chord charts sure, but he was lost on traditional sheet music. Not that that mattered to him. He was fine either way.
He pulled up the tuning app on his phone and set it on the coffee table. He picked up the guitar just as the first tone played from his phone. He plucked the string, heard it was a little wonky, tightened the peg, and plucked the string again. It was closer, but not quite there yet according to the app. The tone payed again.
AJ walked through the door just as Vert was about to test the string again.
"Dude! Get dressed!" He said. "We're going out!"
Vert eyed him skeptically. "Where?"
"Does it matter? It's a surprise!"
"AJ, last time you said that we spent the night in jail."
"Fine." AJ huffed and sat down next to him. "There's a talent competition up at school and Tezz is working in the sound booth, so I said we'd go."
"That's not the only reason, AJ. I can feel it." Vert said.
AJ threw his hands up. "All right! So, BF5 might be in the lineup and I want you to see that they're not Lame with a capital L and prove you wrong once and for all."
Vert stared at him.
"Okay, I admit that was a little harsh. How about you're my best friend and I went with you to that car show a few weeks ago so please come to this with me?"
So, he was resorting to blackmail and puppy dog eyes now? It was a dirty trick, but one that was working apparently. Vert sighed and set down his guitar.
"Yeah!" AJ cheered. "It's gonna be so much fun, Vert! I promise!"
Vert let AJ talk the whole drive over. He stared out the window watching the streets lights fly past. AJ was speeding. He hadn't said the competition started in 30 minutes. Guess he didn't want to be late and miss the entire reason they were going in the first place. AJ whipped through a turn and Vert suddenly remembered why either he or Tezz usually drove. AJ was a terrible driver.
They made it into the parking lot with 7 minutes to spare. It took another 4 minutes to get inside and find seats. The auditorium was surprisingly full, but Tezz waved them over. He had saved seats for them in the front row. Great. He scolded AJ for being late before disappearing into the sound booth.
Vert thumbed through his program. BF5, short for Battle Force 5, he learned (and wow that name was shit), was about halfway down the list of acts. He sat back as the first performer wheeled onto stage on a unicycle with several large knives in their hands.
Okay, so maybe the night wouldn't be too bad.
Several disasters later, the lights in the auditorium dimmed. AJ bounced excitedly in his seat and hit Vert's arm to make sure he was paying attention. Vert hit him back. If it had been just another act, AJ would have hit him again. Instead he looked at the still darkened stage like a kid on Christmas morning. Several spotlights shone down. Vert turned his attention forward.
There were five of them on stage. Two red-heads that were probably twins, two brunets that looked they could be brothers despite the fact that the one towered over the other, and a black-haired boy who made Vert's breath catch in his throat even if he was wearing a ridiculous headband. They were dressed in all black save for a colored tie that glittered in the spotlight. The one standing on one end, the red-head with a purple sparkling tie, looked at the others and quietly counted.
"One, two, three..."
"A light in the room, it was you who was standing there.
Tried it was true as your glance met my stare.
But your heart drifted off, like the land split by sea.
I tried to go, to follow, to kneel down at your feet..."
Vert watched completely enraptured. It was absolutely amazing the way their voices fit together. The song was unfamiliar to him, but that didn't matter. It was stunning and he couldn't take his eyes off them.
"I'll run, I'll run
I'll run, run to you
I'll run, I'll run
I'll run, run to you, oh..."
The song grew softer, softer until he could barely hear it, then swelled and filled the whole room with a sort of energy that left him breathless.
"I will break down the gates of heaven,
A thousand angels stand waiting for me.
Take my heart and I lay down my weapons,
Break my shackles to set me free.
I'll run, I'll run
I'll run, run to you
I'll run, I'll run
I'll run, run to you...
Mmh-mmh…"
After the thunderous applause, Vert sat back in his chair speechless. AJ nudged his shoulder and he turned to see a shit-eating grin plastered on AJ's face.
"Don't you fucking dare," Vert whispered viciously as the next act took the stage.
AJ smirked. Vert spent the rest of the show pointedly ignoring him and memorizing the program instead. He flipped to the page detailing the BF5.
"The Battle Force 5 are an aspiring a Capella group. Founded by members Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV and Zoom Takazumi in 2014, the current group has been together for two years and hope to attract the attention of a record label in an upcoming battle of the bands contest this December.
Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV, Senior-Recording Arts, Contratenor
Spinner Cortez, Senior- Computer Science, Tenor/Beatboxer
Simon Ian Rhodes II, Alumni, Baritone
Zoom Takazumi, Freshman- Fine Arts, Baritone
Sherman Cortez, Junior- Engineering/Computer Science, Bass."
Two years. That would explain why they sounded so amazing. And Vert had been right about there being two sets of brothers. That meant the black-haired boy with the headband, the cute one, had to be Zoom. He could figure out the names of the others later. The judges were on stage and about to announce the winner.
Of course, the BF5 won. It would have been ridiculous if they hadn't. The judges offered them a chance to do an encore. Whispers were exchanged as they decided what song to perform. They turned back towards the audience.
"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality…"
If the first song hadn't proved how good they were, then this one certainly did. Vert's jaw might have actually dropped when the red-head with the purple tie hit that high note, but he closed it quickly and hoped AJ didn't notice. He was never going to hear the end of that. The song finished and again was met with thunderous applause.
"So," AJ suddenly turned to him. "What did you think, Vert? Be honest."
Vert shook his head.
"C'mon, Vert! Tell meeee!"
"They're okay."
"Just okay?"
"Yep."
AJ raised an eyebrow. "Really? Cause when I looked over at you, you looked like you were having an out of body experience."
"I guess cute guys with silly headbands just do that to me," Vert said without missing a beat. AJ stared at him and it was then Vert realized what he'd said. "Why don't we go?" He suggested. "It's getting late."
"Or we could have Tezz sneak us backstage so you can ask Zoom out."
"AJ, no."
"AJ, yes."
Vert ended up winning when Tezz showed up several moments later also announcing he was ready to leave and that he planned on doing so with them. AJ sighed and pulled out his keys. Tezz shot Vert a dirty look for letting AJ drive. Vert shrugged. Payback, he figured, for all the times he caught them on the couch. They drove back in relative silence.
Later that night though, when Vert was in his room with the door closed and his earbuds in, he pulled up the Battle Force 5 YouTube channel. He settled in with their music, drifting, half asleep, into dreams filled with a Capella and pretty boys in silly headbands.