A/N: Here's the second flashback chapter. Songs in this one are Bohemian Rapsody by Queen and Memory from the musical Cats. Enjoy!
Chapter 7- Memories And Fame
June 23rd, 2008.
Haley woke up the next morning to a dog licking her face. She looked up and realized it was Cosmo. She laughed and pet the dog as she got out of bed. She got dressed and went downstairs to hunt down a decent breakfast. She soon realized save for the pets that she was the only one in the house. She saw a note posted on the fridge for her.
H –
If you wake up to find the house empty, Chibs and I are outside swimming in the lake. I thought it best to leave you a note, because I don't know how you'll feel when you wake up.
Love,
B
Haley made herself a smoothie and walked around, giving the dogs and cat plenty of attention. She noticed all the doors and windows leading outside were open to let the air in.
"This definitely isn't Boston," Haley muttered.
SOA
Haley was watching a movie when she saw two bikers walk into the house that she vaguely remembered were named Tig and Bobby.
"Where's Chibs?" said Tig.
"He and Brooke are swimming outside," said Haley. "She left a note."
"When was this?" said Tig.
"An hour ago," said Haley.
Both bikers immediately started laughing. Haley didn't know what they found funny, but she noticed Tig run through the house and out the back door. Haley turned off the movie because she couldn't hear it over Bobby's laughing. When he noticed the TV was off he stopped.
"Brooke said you're a rock star," said Bobby.
"No I'm not, I play the piano and I can sing but I'm no rock star," said Haley.
"Sing something," said Bobby.
Haley began singing a song she knew like the back of her own hand – "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.
Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me.
Mama just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away.
Mama, ooh, Didn't mean to make you cry,
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.
Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time.
Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.
Mama, ooh, I don't want to die,
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.
I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango.
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me.
(Galileo.) Galileo. (Galileo.) Galileo, Galileo figaro
Magnifico. I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me.
He's just a poor boy from a poor family,
Spare him his life from this monstrosity.
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go.
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go.
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go.
(Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go.
(Let me go.) Will not let you go.
(Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Ah.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
(Oh mama mia, mama mia.) Mama mia, let me go.
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me.
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.
So you think you can love me and leave me to die.
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.
Nothing really matters, Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
Nothing really matters to me.
Any way the wind blows.
When Haley was finished singing she heard three people come in through the back door. She looked up and wondered why Chibs and Brooke were wearing regular clothes.
"Bobby, you owe me a hundred bucks!" said Tig. "Who was that singing?"
"Me," said Haley.
"She's a great singer," said Bobby.
SOA
The first week was soon over, and luckily for Haley so was the pain in her jaw. She was finally able to flush the pills down the toilet, much to Tig's dismay.
Fed up with seeing the PDA in the house, she opened the bathroom door one time when she knew Chibs was in the shower and let Savannah in, knowing the cat would jump in the tub. Hearing the frustrated yelling made Haley laugh as she took off for the kitchen.
Later that night, she was at another one of Gemma's dinners and that was when things got interesting.
SOA
It was less of a dinner and more of a barbecue. Haley loved barbecue and was glad she was actually able to eat something this time. She also noticed everyone was getting drunk.
"So, what's your poison?" said Juice.
"I can't drink, I'm 16," said Haley.
Tig then walked up to them. After seeing how naïve Haley was about Chibs and Brooke living together, he realized corrupting the teen would be a fun challenge. However, anything that would land him in jail wasn't happening.
"No rules, Haley," said Tig. "Gimme your soda."
He took the paper cup of soda she had, and dumped it on Juice's head. They led Haley to several coolers and kegs. Haley went with the Sam Adams and ate her dinner.
"I knew you'd pick that one, it's a Boston brew," said Juice.
"You knew that?" said Haley.
"I can tell you where all these beers come from," said Juice. "We don't have any British beer, because Chibs thinks it tastes like piss."
SOA
A big meal and two bottles of Sam Adams later, Haley was feeling good. She had had a rough year, she deserved to feel good.
"I need another drink," said Haley.
"What ye need is a drinkin' game," said Chibs. "Yer sister told me a friend of yers was in a bad way?"
"I really don't want to talk about it," said Haley. "I just wanna get wasted."
Tig and Juice were standing nearby, and Chibs poured two shots of whiskey. He handed one to Haley. She downed it fast.
"Whoa!" said Chibs. "Shite yer a fast one."
Haley grabbed Chibs' shot and down that one too.
"This is fun, what game are we playing again?" said Haley.
"Quarters, you'll be on my team 'cuz you'll lose with everyone else," said Chibs. "Go set it up Juicy-boy."
Haley laughed and chased after Juice. She ran smack into Brooke.
"Who got you drunk?" said Brooke.
"No rules! Yay! I'm gonna go play Quarters with Chibs now!" said Haley.
"Great, I'm on Tig's team," said Brooke. "My winning streak is officially over."
SOA
After the game, Brooke was still standing but Tig was flat on his back. Chibs and Haley were both standing, but Haley soon fell on top of Brooke. Both sisters collapsed to the ground laughing.
SOA
Haley woke up the next morning hungover in her bedroom to her cell phone vibrating.
"Who is it? Hey Kerri. Yep, I'm hungover."
Haley walked around the house in search of Advil and quickly found it. Haley immediately swallowed a few hoping they would soothe the headache she had gotten. She soon realized Kerri had sent a mass text to the rest of the group about Haley getting drunk, as Haley was getting texts from everyone in that group congratulating her on finally doing so.
"Boy did I need it," Haley muttered.
FLASHBACK
"Is she dying?" Jenny asked.
Haley looked at her friend. The redhead's eye makeup was running in black streaks down her cheeks along with tears. Haley stared at her other friends, all of whom seemed to be looking to her for an answer.
"Is she?" said Nate.
"I – I don't know!" said Haley.
END FLASHBACK
The memories of what could've happened reduced Haley to tears.
SOA
A few days later Haley was swimming in the lake with the dogs while Savannah decided to act like a regular cat for once and enjoy the sun by lying down on the makeshift wooden pier nailed into the ground by the previous owners.
FLASHBACK
"I'm not sure if I want ta do this," said Kerri.
"A little late to tell me now, Danny's not the type to flake on girls he's interested in," said Haley. "He grew up with two sisters and three cousins, myself included, who taught him better."
"Yer his cousin?" said Kerri.
"Marriage only, my aunt married his uncle and Danny's adopted so we're as distant of cousins as they come," said Haley.
"The treatments are makin' me look like shite," said Kerri.
"He had brain cancer when he was 12," said Haley. "He wasn't BSing you when he said he understood. I'll even call Jenny to give you one of her famous makeovers. You'll look great when she's finished with you."
"Aye, she does seem to work miracles in that department," said Kerri.
The friends shared a laugh.
"Ye said three cousins? I thought ye only had one sister," said Kerri.
"My parents took in a friend of Brooke's, Taylor Spencer, whenever Taylor's parents left her alone during their drug binges. They thought Taylor would slip through the cracks if she wound up in foster care," said Haley.
END FLASHBACK
There were many things Haley was remembering as she swam, joined by Ace, Cosmo, and Titan as Sonny and Mimi joined Savannah to lie out in the sun. She remembered Kerri's mother and the way her own mother didn't trust the other woman one bit, yet Haley's mom had taken the other woman under her wing anyways. Haley had no idea what her mom was doing, but she suspected something was up.
SOA
Haley was lying on a towel with her feet in the water when Chibs and Brooke found her.
"Brooke tells me yer goin' ta London next summer," said Chibs.
"Yeah, I'm going with the BYSO, it's a music group in Boston, it's for two weeks and I've never been out of the country before I'm so excited!" said Haley.
Chibs looked confused.
"She's overexcited," said Brooke.
"Sorry," said Haley.
"Aye, yer just lookin' forward ta new experiences," said Chibs. "Just don't get thrown in jail. That's the extent of me travelin' advice."
Haley laughed then changed the subject.
"I gave Bobby one of my CDs at the barbecue," said Haley. "Brooke, remember that guy I told about, JJ? Friend of mine, he works at a recording studio, he snuck me in so I got recorded materials for auditions whenever I need them."
Haley then took off towards the house.
SOA
Bobby was walking around the club in Reno where he did his Elvis impersonations when he spotted a radio. He stuck the CD Haley had given him in it and listened to it while waiting for the bookie. The guy soon arrived, looking desperate.
"I need your help, Bobby," said the bookie. "Can you do a double set Saturday?"
"I thought you had that new girl booked after me," said Bobby.
"She called and claimed she's been signed by a record company, and she has tour dates scheduled, so she can't make it," said the bookie. "Although, she didn't sound half as good as that music playing."
"That? Oh, that's from my collection," said Bobby. "Friend of mine, his old lady's sister is trying to get into the biz. She can play the piano too."
"Well, I haven't had the female element here in a while," said the bookie. "You'll do your one set, and she'll be booked right after you."
Bobby left the club with a grin on his face.
SOA
The Sons, Gemma, Luann, Brooke, and Haley were excited about this latest turn of events.
"You and I need to go to CaraCara and get you a proper outfit," said Luann.
"But… that's a porn studio," said Haley. "I don't wear that kind of stuff."
"You do now!" said Gemma.
SOA
The Saturday Haley had to be in Reno, the club, Gemma, and Brooke went too. She'd be up there for two hours after Bobby.
SOA
Haley paced in the little black dress she wore, with matching heels, jewelry from her sister's jewelry box, and a white men's tuxedo jacket on over the dress because the top of the dress, in Haley's opinion, revealed too much.
"Yer not nervous?" said Chibs.
"No," said Haley. "Performing doesn't make me nervous."
"What does?" said Tig.
Chibs and Brooke rolled their eyes.
"Bad things happening to the people I care about," said Haley. "My family, my friends, I'd do anything to make it go away."
Happy, who was standing nearby, nodded as if to say he either approved or understood.
"Will you give me a tat?" said Haley.
"What do you want and where?" said Brooke.
"Treble and bass clef, upside down like a heart, on my back," said Haley. "I even got a picture."
"Sure, let's go for it," said Brooke.
Chibs then handed Haley a handkerchief that was a replica of the Scottish flag as a good luck charm. The girl about to get her big break immediately stuffed it in one of the jacket pockets.
SOA
When it was Haley's turn to go up, she went up there and sang all her songs so flawlessly everyone in the audience thought she had been a pro for years.
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look
A new day has begun
Afterwards she celebrated by getting the tattoo done by Happy.
SOA
Within a few days, the three weeks were up and Haley had to go back home. Chibs told her to keep the hanky, because he no longer had any use for it. Chibs, Brooke, and Haley loaded Haley's things into Brooke's jeep for the drive to San Francisco International Airport.
"I'm gonna miss this place," said Haley. "The town, the guys, you guys."
"You can always email me, except address it to us both," said Brooke.
"Chibs, you gotta come to Boston sometime," said Haley. "Meet the rest of the family. They're all crazy. My cousin, Danny, is my age and I think you two would get along."
The three of them shared a laugh before getting in the jeep.
SOA
Brooke and Haley shared a hug before Haley boarded her flight back to Boston, then Chibs and Brooke made the drive back to Charming.
"What'd I tell ye? I knew that shite would make her so loopy she'd forget me entire name," said Chibs.
Brooke nodded and laughed.
"She's such a sweetie though," said Brooke.
"If Kerrianne were ta ever live wit us, ye think they'd get along?" said Chibs.
"Definitely, Haley's always welcoming people into her life with open arms, unless someone pisses her off," said Brooke. "However that's yet to happen, which is a good thing because the few times I saw her angry, her temper was worse than yours."
Chibs laughed so hard that Brooke had to tell him not to hurt himself, which only made him laugh harder.
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