AN: Warning major use of song lyrics, none are mine but if you don't like this sort of thing then chances are you won't like this chapter. Happy reading and thanks to all of you guys who reviewed.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen today is the day you've been waiting for…music time!"
Amy along with her classmates groaned. While she felt she had picked out a fantastic song for her assignment, the idea of sharing it with her peers was less than appealing. Though she had to say she did find her band, My Deliverance, very interesting.
Their drummer, Dingo Greggermen, was an Italian-Asian conman before forming the group with the guy his ex-girlfriend cheated with, Caleb Northshire. Caleb was the bassist and an English man who apparently very fond of his pot, not that he'd ever been arrested for it. The keyboardist was man from Senegal simply called Yogi and appeared to be mellowest of quartet despite his past as child soldier. And then there was the lead singer/guitarist Shiri. The only girl in the group and the youngest member (she was sixteen when the band was formed).
Once more Amy looked down at the picture she'd found on the internet. It had been taken a year before the band went on hiatus so she was about twenty-one. She was tall, maybe Ms. Amoit's height with an average figure. Her blackish red hair fell down her shoulders in choppy layers and had so much henna in them it was remarkable Amy could even tell what the woman's real color was. Her dark eyes were lined with blue-black kohl and her lips were painted a slightly blackish neutral tone. She had a nose stud in her left nostril and three piercings in each ear.
She was wearing low-riding jeans and a vest-top that exposed her navel so the teenager could see not only the rocker's belly-piercing but the top to phoenix pelvic tattoo. She also had a tattoo on her forearm, a twisting vine with all sorts of flowers and some thorns and the Latin phrase Exsisto Non Nemo, Be Not Nobody, interwoven in it. Despite the fierce exterior the young woman had a very warm smile and exuded charm and charisma even on paper.
"So who would like to go first?" asked Ms. Amoit scanning the classroom with her sharp eyes. Predictably Grace's hand shot up before the teacher had even finished asking the question.
Hiding a slight smirk the British woman nodded and said, "Alright Miss Bowman. Please set up your music then tell us a bit about your chosen band and their song."
Quickly Grace plugged her IPod into Ms. Amoit's computer and turned to face the class.
"The song I chose was 'Never' by the band My Deliverance. I think it's about the writer's longing to help someone who doesn't want to be helped." She said the last part while looking straight at Ricky, who for his part didn't even look up from his own lyrics.
The blonde pressed play and soon the same powerful voice from Mr. Molina's room filled the classroom.
This
world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Who
would have guessed it
I will not leave alone
Everything that I
own
To make you feel like it's not too late
It's never too
late
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you
say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just
stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too
late
It's never too late
No one will ever see
This side
reflected
And if there's something wrong
Who would have guessed
it
And I have left alone
Everything that I own
To make you
feel like
It's not too late
It's never too late
Even if
I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end
your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe
we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never
too late
The world we knew
Won't come back
The time
we've lost
Can't get back
The life we had
Won't be ours
again
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I
don't belong
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear
you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To
just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not
too late
It's never too late
Maybe we'll turn it all
around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late (It's never
too late)
It's not too late
It's never too late
The song ended and Grace sat down. Before anyone could protest Amy stood quickly (which was a remarkable feat considering how pregnant she was) and placed her own IPod into the speakers.
"Umm…I also did My Deliverance but I chose a different song. It's called 'Rain' and I think it's about how even life gets bad you can still rebound and make it better." The fifteen year-old pressed play and instead of heavy rock-n-roll rifts the gentle sound of an acoustic guitar came out.
It's
hard to listen to a hard hard heart
Beating close to mine
Pounding
up against the stone and steel
Walls that I won't climb
Sometimes
a hurt is so deep deep deep
You think that you're gonna
drown
Sometimes all I can do is weep weep weep
With all this
rain falling down
Strange how hard it rains now
Rows and
rows of big dark clouds
When I'm holding on underneath this
shroud
Rain
Its hard to know when to give up the fight
Two
things you want will just never be right
Its never rained like it
has to night before
Now I don't wanna beg you baby
For
something maybe you could never give
I'm not looking for the rest
of your life
I just want another chance to live
Strange how
hard it rains now
Rows and rows of big dark clouds
When I'm
holding on underneath this shroud
Rain
Strange how hard it
rains now
Rows and rows of big dark clouds
When I'm holding on
underneath this shroud
Rain
Strange how hard it rains
now
Rows and rows of big dark clouds
When I'm still alive
underneath this shroud
Rain Rain Rain
When the song ended Amy took out her IPod and spoke again, "Ummm My Deliverance is a British group and the most successful musical group of all time in both Europe and the United States. They've won more Grammys; have had more platinum and gold albums than any other musical group in history."
She wanted to say more but her self-consciousness about her pregnancy won out and she retreated to her desk. Neither she, nor any of her classmates noticed the strange look that had crossed Ms. Amoit's face. It was almost as if she had put on a mask of what her face was supposed to look like.
"Very good Miss Juergens...I must say I'm a little surprised seeing as how My Deliverance never turned in America and they were popular quite a few years ago. Does anyone else have any of their songs?"
Ricky, Adrian, and Ben all raised their hands.
"Who has just music?" Only Ricky kept his hand up. Without waiting for the teacher's say-so Ricky plugged in his MP3 player. Once more angry guitar riffs filled the small room.
I
could be mean
I could be angry
You know I could be just like
you
I could be fake
I could be stupid
You know I could
be just like you
You thought you were standing beside me
You
were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be
just like you
You thought you were there to guide me
You
were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be
just like you
You thought you were there to guide me
You were
only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just
like you
I could be cold
I could be ruthless
You know I
could be just like you
I could be weak
I could be
senseless
You know I could be just like you
You thought you
were standing beside me
You were only in my way
You're wrong
if you think that I'll be just like you
You thought you were
there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you
think that I'll be just like you
You thought you were there to
guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think
that I'll be just like you
On my own, cause I can't take
living with you
I'm alone, so I won't turn out like you
Want
me to
You thought you were standing beside me
You were only
in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like
you
You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in
my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like
you
You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my
way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you
I
could be mean
I could be angry
You know I could be just like
you
"This song is about how people can change, how they can be different from what every expects of them," said the drummer looking pointedly at Amy. Ben, who took the comment as a private challenge got up, placed a DVD inside Lee's laptop and pressed play.
Instantly the screen (and the projector it was hooked up to) was filled with the image of My Deliverance dressed in high society clothes. The video showed the hypocrisy of the upper echelon of society such as saying one thing and doing another and being unfaithful.
Who's
to know if your soul will fade at all
The one you sold to fool the
world
You lost your self-esteem along the way
Yeah
Good
God your coming up with reasons
Good God your dragging it out
Good
God it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped
So follow
me down
And just fake it if you're out of direction
Fake
it, if you don't belong here
Fake it, if you feel like
infection
Woah your such a f****** hypocrite
The lead singer walked through the extravagant mansion, observing people "faking it". The band played a steady rhythm in the background while dressed in the ridiculous clothes.
And
who's to know that the lies wont hide your flaws
No sense in
hiding all of yours
You gave up on your dreams along the
way
Yeah
Good God your coming up with reasons
Good God
your dragging it out
Good God it's the changing of the seasons
I
feel so raped
So follow me down
And just fake it if you're
out of direction
Fake it, if you don't belong here
Fake it, if
you feel like infection
Woah your such a f****** hypocrite
Whoah Whoah
As the song went into a guitar solo the scene changed to a fancy party. Suddenly Shiri ripped off her ball-gown to reveal torn jeans and vest top underneath. The boys did the same and soon the band was playing on the gilded tabletops, the loud music breaking many of the expensive, yet superfluous decorations.
I
can fake with the best of anyone
I can fake with the best of 'em
all
I can fake with the best of anyone
I can fake it all
Who's
to know if your soul will fade at all
The one you sold to fool the
world
You lost your self-esteem along the way
Yeah
Good
God your coming up with reasons
Good God your dragging it out
Good
God it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped
Man follow
me down
And just fake it if you're out of direction
Fake
it, if you don't belong here
Fake it, if you feel like
infection
Woah your such a f****** hypocrite
Fake it, if
you're out of direction
Fake it, if you don't belong here
Fake
it, if you feel like infection
Woah your such a f****** hypocrite
The video ended with the lead singer winking into the camera and the screen going black. Ben cleared his throat and said, "I believe this song is about how people say one thing yet mean something else entirely." He said this while looking directly, who very discreetly flicked him off.
Sensing the tension between the two boys Ms. Amoit cleared her throat and said, "Yes very good Mr. Boykewich, you too Mr. Underwood. Miss Lee I believe you'll be our final song before the bell catches us. Please proceed."
Adrian got up and sauntered to the front of the room. "Like Amy said My Deliverance is the most successful group of all time. Unfortunately they went on hiatus six years ago for reasons unknown. I believe my song is about finding redemption within yourself."
The video started out at night as fog fell over the empty field. Shiri was dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized black hoodie. The video flashed between her singing and scenes of what appeared to be a rehab center.
It
seems like every day's the same
and I'm left to discover on my
own
It seems like everything is gray
and there's no color
to behold
They say it's over and I'm fine again, yeah
Try
to stay sober feels like I'm dying here
And I am aware now
of how
everything's gonna be fine one day
Too late, I'm in
hell I am prepared now,
seems everyone's gonna be fine
One
day too late, just as well
I feel the dream in me expire
and
there's no one left to blame it on
I hear you label me a liar
'cause I can't seem to get this through
You say it's
over, I can sigh again, yeah
Why try to stay sober when I'm
dying here
And I am aware now of how
everything's gonna
be fine one day
Too late, I'm in hell
I am prepared
now,
seems everyone's gonna be fine
One day too late; just
as well
Suddenly a great bonfire appeared next to the band and it showed ghosts throwing various drug paraphernalia into it. It was also revealed that the singer wasn't the one in rehab, it was a male family member and the video up to that point had been mirror image of what he was going through.
And
I'm not scared now.
I must assure you,
you're never gonna
get away
And I'm not scared now.
And I'm not scared now.
No…
I am aware now of how
everything's gonna be fine
one day
Too late, I'm in hell
I am prepared now
seems
everyone's gonna be fine
One day too late, just as well
I am
prepared now,
seems everything's gonna be fine for me
For
me; for myself.
For me, for me, for myself
For me, for me, for
myself
The video ended with the lead singer wrapping her arms around her brother as rain started to fall.
The bell rang and everyone headed to their next class, with the exception of Lee. The World Lit teacher was mad as hell and was pretty sure a certain guidance counselor had something to do with it.