Conner finishes his final set at the coffee house with polite applause. He had no idea why he was even here. He never planned on living in New York. Conner smiles at the tips. It was enough for groceries. Thanking the audience, he puts his guitar away and walks off stage.
Walking home to his "apartment" (he used that term loosely, he shared a loft with four other guys) he wondered about his spontaneous decision to live here.
After he graduated from SVH, he attended Vanderbilt in Nashville. He liked their music program and applied. After he finished, he finished his studies at another college, graduating with a degree in Education. After he obtained his degree, he had no idea what to do next.
He didn't feel like having a typical career like everyone else, but he also didn't want to be a professional singer either, even though he dreamt about it all through high school. Ironic, since he made his living as a singer and bouncer in a club in New York. He didn't want to do either, but bills needed to be paid.
He nodded at his roommate, Blue Spicolli. Blue worked as a chef in a high end restaurant. Finding out Conner was from Sweet Valley, he pushed his other two roommates to have him as their forth. Blue was alright. Funnily enough, hearing about Elizabeth Wakefield and Conner, he said him and Liz "dated" in grade 8 and 9. It was just puppy love. They broke up when Blue moved to the East Coast with his parents.
The other two guys were okayish. They paid rent on time, but were typical young college guys. They liked to party and were pretty much slackers. They reminded Conner of Bill and Ted. The loft Conner lived in was small and consisted of a single room. The rent here was insane. $2800 a month. In New York standards, was a bargain.
Conner had no privacy, his "room" was a divider with used office walls. Ugh. Conner wished he stayed in Nashville, but he needed to be in New York. Three years later, still couldn't figure out why.
The phone rang shaking him out of his thoughts.
"Yo."
"Hey Conner. How's things."
Conner smiles at the familiar voice.
"Tee. How's my favorite niece?"
"Sigh. Her nightmares hadn't stopped. She told me she saw Angel dying. The man just looked at Angel and laughed. She woke up crying. I don't know what to do."
"Oh man. She was only a baby. There is no way that she can remember her dad. Never mind his death. Did she say anything else?"
"She said the bad men are coming. She is afraid to sleep. I tried taking her to a child psychiatrist, but she just sits there. It doesn't help she doesn't want to go to school either. The kids there make fun of her."
"Kids are assholes, looks like things hadn't changed. Tee, you need me to come visit? Maybe seeing Uncle Conner will cheer her up."
"Really? Oh! Thank you. She always looked up to you. Conner. Hopefully your presence will cheer her up."
Conner smiles. The last time he was in Sweet Valley was three years ago. Little Angela threw a fit when Conner left.
"No probs. Still have that spare air mattress?"
Ten minutes later, Conner was packing up his duffel. Before he left, he called his boss. Family emergency. Tia and Angela were his family, other than his mom and Megan. He should visit his little sister and her husband before he headed back. Just to see them again.
Looking at his laptop, he stares at the screen. There was a play opening on Broadway next week. His sorta ex Maria Slater was starring in it, along with a former classmate, Johanna Porter. Looking at the picture of Maria, he was struck on how much she changed. Damn. In high school, she was clingy and insecure. Now she was leagues ahead. Too bad he was going to miss it.