I don't own Night World or 'Breathe' by Taylor Swift.
Jez and Morgead: SuperStar
Chapter 5
Jez POV
"Aunt Nan?" I asked tentatively.
"Yes, Jez?" she said, not looking up from chopping the vegetables.
I put down the carrot that I'd just finished washing and reached for another one. Claire glanced at me triumphantly.
"I got a job," I said. I glared at Claire. She just smiled and winked.
"That's great, Jez!" aunt Nan said. "Where is it?"
I took a deep breath. "At 'The Beagle'."
The Beagle was the local pub.
"That's... great. Will you be serving?" aunt Nan had a shocked expression.
"No. I'll be singing," I told her, throwing another glare at Claire.
Aunt Nan looked at me in shock. "Jez, can you sing?"
"She's amazing!" Claire exclaimed.
I didn't bother glaring at her again.
"I asked her if she knew any modern songs when we were at the music department today, and she played this Taylor Swift song. She sang with it, and she's seriously good, mum," Claire continued. "I dared her to ask the owner if she could have a job to sing there."
Aunt Nan pursed her lips. "Well... if you got the job, then that's great. Be careful, though. Those men might get a bit rowdy..."
"I can take care of myself," I said firmly.
She nodded, though she still looked worried.
~ * ~ * ~
I was outside the door to go on stage the next day.
I was nervous, sitting down for a couple of seconds, then jumping up and pacing, then sitting back down again and fidgeting with my sheet music. As I was only needed to sing one song this time, I'd decided to sing 'Breathe' by Taylor Swift. She was my favourite solo artist and I could sing her songs easily, not to mention that I listened to them a lot, so I was familiar with them.
"And next on stage, Jez Redfern, singing Breathe by Taylor Swift!" A voice said.
I took a deep breath and smiled, then walked out on stage. I ignored the wolf-whistles that resounded from some of the men. I walked straight for the piano and quickly adjusted the microphone, then started playing.
"I see your face in my mind as I drive away
'Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way
People are people and sometimes we change our minds
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time,"
I could see his face again in my mind. His bright green eyes, his silken black hair falling over his forehead like satin, contrasting with his pale skin, his strong features. His smile when he looked at me. His laugh when I tripped up or did something stupid. I'd never loved him more in my life.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
"Music starts playin' like the end of a sad movie
It's the kinda ending you don't really wanna see
'Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down
Now I don't know what to be without you around
"And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
"And I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
"Never wanted this, never want to see you hurt
Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve
People are people and sometimes it doesn't work out
Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out
"And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
"And I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
"It's two a.m., feelin' like I just lost a friend
Hope you know it's not easy, easy for me
It's two a.m., feelin' like I just lost a friend
Hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me
"And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me, oh
"I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry"
Morgead... I thought. I just about managed to keep my tears in, but I was sure my face looked like I was in pain. Which I was. Every single line in that song reminded me of what I had done to him. I wonder what he's doing now...?
The crowd erupted into applause, jerking me out of my reverie. I looked up in shock, and saw that most people were standing up, and all of them were clapping hysterically.
The man who introduced every one on came up, whispered a quick 'Congratulations' to me, then escorted me off-stage where Claire was waiting.
"That was great!" she said. I smiled weakly.
"I actually enjoyed that," I said as the 'introducer' went back on stage to introduce someone else.
Claire watched me for a second. "You looked really sad when you were singing that. Not how you did before."
I stared levelly back at her.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," I said. I could hear the sadness in my voice. "No. There's nothing you could do."
"I wasn't saying that I could help, just that you could tell me."
I looked out the window, and had a sudden urge to talk to somebody about it. I turned back to Claire and told her everything.
Morgead POV
"Argh," I said as I cut myself again.
I'd been on one of my stages when I went crazily angry at the entire world, and smashed things up. This time, I had smashed the mirror.
I lifted my hand from the pile of broken glass and examined the jagged cut on my palm, watching the blood bead out and drip down my wrist, then sighed and picked up some glass to put it in the bin, ignoring the pain.
It wasn't hard. All I had to do was think of things that were more painful.
My hands were cut all over once I'd finished. I stood up to rinse them under the tap, and watched as the water turned red.
This wasn't healthy. Since she'd gone, I'd been dead, not thinking about anything but my own pain, being too short-sighted to see anyone else's pain. At least she was alive, and probably happy. So many people had lost their loved ones in worse ways. Some of them had died.
My lost love wasn't dead.
But she was lost. And that killed me.
I glanced outside as I got a bandage to wrap around my hands. The day was sunny, like usual.
My life was the opposite; dull, cloudy and dreary.
I sat down on the floor, fighting the tears.