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Everyone’s eyes turned towards the stage as the lights dimmed, and music became very slow. Whispers died down. A single strand of light beamed onto the person on stage. Many people wondered why he of all people was in the spotlight. But it didn’t seem to bother the back table, whom were smirking.
Nikki stood. “Jimmy…”
Zap chuckled, and leaned back. “Eh. Knew he would show up.” He smoothed down in spiky blonde hair with a look of relief.
“Yeah. Took him long enough. It’s noogie time when he gets down here!” CJ made the notion of giving a noogie to the smaller boy. Nicole ignored them both, and left her eyes on stage. Her hands tied themselves into a gesture of hopefulness.
“C’mon, Jimmy, you can do it! We believe in you!”
Well, this is nerve-wracking, Jimmy mused to himself. Wonder what would happen if I didn’t do anything, and suddenly choked up?
But that’s when his eyes reached the very back table, otherwise known as the loser table. He saw Zap, and CJ, and Remmy, and Nicole. Nicole was standing up, her shocking pink Mohawk now styled into a simple bob. Zap was sneering at him, throwing the middle finger at everyone (Go f*ck them up, or I‘ll f*ck you up!) Still being her usual “I-never-talk-because-some-never-could-take-their-first-breath” self, Remmy gave him a thumbs up as encouragement. CJ was doing the one-man wave in his usual idiotic way. He chucked at his friends.
Yeah. Friends. His friends.
It may have taken all year, all his life, but now, here at the prom, he was finally ready to redeem himself. No more wedgies, no more teasing, no more bullying. Not for this James. He was through with that life, and now it was time to move on with something better.
The boy let his eyes pan over his somewhat reluctant audience, but it lingered slightly over the table with the girl of white skin, and flowing hair, and flawless smiles. Sure, his enemy was at the table, and he was currently glaring a silver dollar-shaped hole through his head, but that didn’t matter. She did. Her perfectly shaped eyes - so shy, so wonderful - were staring back into his. Digging into his soul, reading him.
“Um… yeah, hi,” Jimmy said awkwardly. “So… everyone having a good time?” He mostly got silence, except for CJ - “OH YEAH, BABY!” - so he continued. “Hehe, thank you CJ.”
“YOU’RE WELCOME!”
Jimmy chuckled again, then said, “Anyway, thanks for coming everyone. Now you’re probably wondering who am I, since most of you don’t even know my name.” Jimmy readjusted himself. “My name’s James Xavier.”
Suddenly, a boy stood up in the crowd. Like everyone else, he was wearing a tux. He shouted, “Hey, get off stage! Who wants to hear from you?” It was Brandon Dillion, the captain of the football team. His arch enemy for the wonder called Lily O’Hara. He was also the one who had been glaring silver dollars into his head just a minute ago. Ah, the irony of that statement, Jimmy thought quickly. Brandon was rich enough to be glaring a hundred dollar bill into his head, and not worry if he would ever get that hundred back. Jimmy paused, and he thought, Maybe this was a bad idea… but he was interrupted by another scream.
“HEY!”
He realized it was Remmy! No-talking Remmy! Her voice was girl-like, but it was very… vicious. Being her boyfriend, CJ wasn’t affected by the sound of her voice. He had heard it plenty of times before. He just grinned at Jimmy with a look that said, “Guess I’m not special anymore.” Brandon looked at her, though, shocked. ‘The loser can talk?’ was written all over his tanned face. But he puffed out his chest, and replied with an attempt to match her ferocity, “Hey, loser!”
Remmy stood up. With slow, confident strides, she reached his table. “Do you want to repeat what you said before?” she hissed. She tilted her head towards him, her small hand tearing into his jacket. The strength she was using caused him to take a small step forward.
“Sure. I don’t want that loser on the stage at my prom!” Brandon said, his bravery losing to Remmy’s tone. Remmy smiled. That’s when CJ stood, and jogged over to his girlfriend. “Remmy, calm down-” The boy placed his hands on either side of her shoulders. But it was too late, because as CJ pulled, Remmy began screaming in front of the entire student body.
“JIMMY IS NOT A LOSER, YOU EGOTISTICAL p***k! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ONE OF US! YOU’RE JUST A SPOILED LITTLE BRAT ON STEROIDS!” Remmy yelled, clawing at Brandon’s face. Brandon began screaming like a little girl, trying to get help from his friends. They simply sat there, laughing. CJ kept a firm grip on Remmy, and dragged her back to their table as she continued to scream. “WATCH YOUR BACK, DILLION! I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP FOR TRYING TO DESTROY THIS MOMENT-” Remmy only stopped when CJ kissed her full on the lips.
Brandon, on the other hand, was stunned to the point he was pale. “Egotistical? Steroids?”
Jimmy stared at Brandon for a second, then to Remmy, then back to everyone else. “As I was saying, my name is James Xavier. And I like to sing.”
People rolled their eyes. Then someone shouted sarcastically, “What? Are you the mysterious writer of “Water Flower?”” Several people laughed. Remmy, busy nuzzling CJ, simply shot a glare at the girl, before continuing.
The boy in the light took a breath. Finally. It was time to take back his credit, and show the entire school. James wasn’t a loser. No. As a matter of fact, he’s a MEGA-LOSER, but that’s just how he always wanted it to be, and that’s how it will always be for him, as long as he still lives. And he would let everyone know that too!
“Well, yeah.”
People gasped, and whispers immediately flew.
“Oh my God, is that true?”
“No way, he’s totally lying! How could a loser like that write something so beautiful?”
“Yeah, Water Flower could never be written by him! Besides, didn‘t Brandon say he wrote it, but asked someone else to sing it for him?”
“Yeah, what an idiot! He’s totally lying!”
“Hehe. Looks like they need some convincing, Nikki.”
Nicole, Nikki, gave Zap a look, before shaking her head crazily. “`Bout time! I’ve had it up to here with this hairdo!” After a couple of head bangs, the locks of pink were shooting all over the place like they been a few hours ago. Standing like a man, the girl with the bob seemed like a distant dream. “Ah, I will never have another hairstyle like that again.”
Zap stood, undoing a few buttons on his dress shirt. Taking the red carnation out of his front pocket, he crushed it. “C’mon, nimrods! We have a song to perform!”
“Oh yeah!” CJ whooped, dragging the silent Remmy along with him.
The foursome snuck away from their table, and quietly went backstage. They could hear Jimmy trying his best to convince the crowd that he was really the one who wrote the love song. And from what Zap could tell, the hundreds of teens in the room were not getting anymore convinced than they were by their own thoughts. Zap blew a bubble with his gum. He was sure if the stupid boy would just sing, he would full out leave the people speechless with his voice. It would be easy to achieve that.
Hell, even he was left speechless, and he was NEVER a loss for insults. But after hearing what that numbskull had been able to write, and sing, Zap knew that this skinny pathetic excuse for a man was going to become bigger than he and everyone else could never be… Especially when Jimbo the Bimbo finished that f*cking frilly frill frill song, Water Flower. That song, though it was girly as hell, touched a part of every student at Queercock High in some way because he spoke of the need to be heard, and to be known… something that even he, Zachary Olsen, understood. And that was Jimmy’s gift to the world: his music.
Now if he would only get over himself, and just sing, Zap wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble for one pipsqueak!
That no-balls owes me for this.
As the group invaded the backstage, and after they finished tying up the backstage crew, Zap ordered the instruments be brought it. He looked at his friends - Carl Jr, Remmalyn, Nicole, James - and cackled.
“Let’s go f*ck them up! Underground Congregation!”
“YEAH!”
“Please believe me, I have the original lyrics, and everything-”
“You liar! Get off stage!”
“Yeah! You little suck up, no one believes you!”
“Brandon wrote that song!”
Jimmy looked around for some sort of support - IcantcrashnowIcantcrashnowIcantcrashnow - or just ANYONE to tell him he was allowed to do this, that it was okay to claim his song back from Brandon! He felt his heart race, the sweat building. His mind went blank, and suddenly he felt like a deer caught in the headlights. The room began to spin, and his ear were pounding at his brain to make everyone. Just. Shut. Up! No, no, no! This was supposed to be his chance to make everything right! If he didn’t now, everything would be for not! The once pale Brandon was now puffing out his chest again. He just sat there proudly, not saying a word. The smirk on his cocky face snickered, “I won, you loser. Give up, and go home.”
But as Jimmy struggled to regain his footing, a single voice stood out above the rest. It was soft, and it was clear, but unlike Remmy’s voice, it was more high-pitched.
“Brandon, why aren’t you saying anything! You didn’t write that song, and we both know it!” her green eyes switched from the jock’s ignorant smile, to his. And like that night where Water Flower was first sung, a wordless conversation ensued. The two colors in their eyes mixed and blurred. The single eye that was visible was a clear blue under the stage light. His entire existent was spelled out in front of her just by looking thoroughly at him. His world, his words, his sadness, his happiness, but most of all, his genuine and unconditional love for her. The colors then faded back to the violent teens.
“GET OFF STAGE, YOU F*CKING LOSER!”
“WE DON’T WANT SOME LIAR LIKE YOU AT OUR PROM!”
“C’MON, GET MOVING!”
Lily swiftly broke eye contact with the guy onstage, and begged Brandon, “Please, Brandon, do something! We can’t just leave him up there!”
Brandon looked at Lily’s desperate look. His sneer fell into a fake look of sadness. “I would, but there’s nothing I can do! Even if I said I didn’t write it, they’ll still think he’s a liar!”
“But, Brandon!”
“What, does that wimp mean something to you?” he near yelled because of the volume of the screams.
At this, Lily froze. Did that nerd mean something to her? She thought about it, and remembered every word and small smile she ever saw him give to her, and to others. They had barely spoke to each other, and wouldn’t even know each other if it wasn’t for that anatomy project they had earlier in the year. They were neighbors, and though his family introduced themselves, she had forgotten his name within a matter of hours. But every time he opened his mouth, she felt like he knew just what she wanted to hear at that very moment, and every time she needed someone to hold her, he always seemed to be right around the corner, or at her door with some leftover chocolate from his parent’s store. When she ran into him at her party, after Water Flower was played, she had had a sudden feeling of warmth, and well… love. Those blue eyes told her a story, and that story played so many different songs that it made her heart ache for him.
Maybe… just, maybe… Jimmy really was the one to write Water Flower?
Long red hair laid perfectly still as she pushed the thought away, and she bit out, “Even if he didn‘t mean something to me, we have to help-”
“Uh… hello? Shut up, douche bags?” Her head turned when she was interrupted by the insult. The crowd quieted down when they saw a familiar blond walk onto stage, three others bringing out equipment. Zachary was his name, but he was called Zap. Following him was a rosette, with heavy turquoise blue and black eyeliner and colorful spikes everywhere on her purple dress and combat boots. After that, a tanned guy (CJ, Lily remembered) with hair that defied gravity under a gray headband walked in wearing a blazing yellow jacket, and a red vest underneath. Clinging to him, was the girl who yelled earlier. Lily clearly remembered her, since they were partners in the Anti-Abortion charity. Before, she had though she was mute, but she was obviously not. Her black hair was tied into pigtails that sat on her green-clad shoulders.
After everyone went silent, Zap sighed. “Now really? Making us come up here just because you can’t defend yourself?” Zap kicked Jimmy’s behind, and he landed face-first on the stage. “F*cking homo she-boy.”
“Yeah! What did we teach you to do when people become a$$holes in public?” Nikki asked, giving a too-innocent look at the groups who were shouting before.
Jimmy got up, and rubbed his nose. “To ignore them…?”
“NO! JIMMY!” CJ shrieked, falling to his knees. “YOU NEED TO BREAK THEIR RIBS, AND THEN SHOVE THEM ONTO THE FREEWAY AFTER YOU STAB THEM IN THEIR SLEEP! WHAT GOOD WERE ALL THE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN LESSONS I GAVE YOU?!” Once CJ was safely secured, and silenced about his additional three hundred and five lesson plans, Remmy simply hugged Jimmy, then bonked his head gently. Then Zap came back in, and threw more insults at him, then it went to Nikki, who would shake him violently, back to CJ and his lessons, and finally, to Remmy, who would rub his head. The cycle continued for awhile. It seemed like they were their own comedy show.
Lily raised a brow at group. Weren’t they Jimmy’s friends? It was more like they were his family… a very dysfunctional one at that. Once they were all done scolding him - in which no one disturbed because Remmy kept baring her teeth at the crowd - Zap faced the crowd, while Jimmy sat in a corner, waiting for his self-esteem to rise again. The others went towards their respective instruments: Nikki on keys, Remmy on bass, and CJ on drums.
“Okay, man-b!tches, and b!tches alike, go ahead and just shut those ugly traps! We’re called Underground Congregation. We’re a band, and I’m the leader and guitar player. We have Sparkle Sunshine on drums, Wh0re on keyboard, Alligator on the bass! Now clap!”
People began clapping, though they didn’t know why.
“And you! Homo Emo! Get you’re a$$ up here, and sing for God’s sake!” Jimmy, who was still sitting looked at Zap like he had grown another mouth and more vocal cords. But Jimmy did get up when Zap picked him up by the pants, and he did get to the front of stage again when Zap tossed them to Nikki, who then threw him towards the front.
Once he got up, Jimmy realized he was standing in front of a microphone.
Lily turned her back on her, “date,” and focused her attention on him. If her hunch was right, then this moment could prove everything about her feelings for him.
Sing, Jimmy. Sing.
Everyone was now giving him a nicely assorted gamut of looks. Some were suspicious, some were giving looks of disbelief, other just looked the wrong way. Jimmy slowly put his hand on the mic, followed by the other. It was only then did he realize he was shaking; a very small tremor was running throughout his body. He gave the crowd one more look before closing his eyes, and soon, every ounce of noise was silenced.
He saw nothing.
He heard nothing.
He smelled only the smell of his own sweat and blood.
Tasted only a dry throat.
He gulped, and adjusted his hands so they weren’t gripping onto it like it was his lifeline.
He felt only the mic in his hands, the adrenaline, and most of all, the vibrations.
Zap was tuning his guitar slightly. Remmy was strumming through the strings for one last check up. CJ tapped his foot impatiently. Nikki set her keyboard. The voices of the crowd hummed softly; the noise rose and fell into a wave of vibrations. Breathing and voice mingled until Jimmy felt something in him synchronize.
With everything.
He removed his left hand from the safety of the mic. He felt several pairs of eyes glance at it, then he felt several sounds. He held out his hand for the others to see.
Five. CJ began the beat. Four. Nikki followed. Three. Remmy joined. Two. Zap ran with it.
One.
Am I ready?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
But.
Zero
Blue eyes shot open, and his right hand gripped the mic as words flew out of his mouth.
No one sees me.
No one hears me.
No one can feel me.
Do you understand me?
Maybe not,
And I don‘t really care.
Jaws dropped. Eyes widened, and those who had looked away looked back.
“Oh my gosh…”
Lily could tear herself away enough to think of who had said it.
Even with a million voices,
I can see you,
(Dancing in the waves)
I can hear you,
(Laughing in like the rain)
I have felt you,
So much more than my words can say.
(You‘re blooming)
“Good God…” Someone whispered at her table. “It’s Water Flower.”
Lily wanted to fly.
Even in a sea of faces,
Why do I see you?
Only you,
(When you’re blooming)
Water flower?
You‘re beautiful,
And you know it, oh-so-well,
I didn’t stand a chance.
Took my heart, stomped it flat,
And watched it wash away.
But I still came back for you,
When you needed me most.
Water flower.
Water flower.
Drown me in the sea of faces.
Those blue eyes slid shut, and the music slowed to a sad, mellow tune.
People were cheering now.
No one sees me now,
No one heard me then,
No one can feel me here.
Do you even know I’m there?
Maybe not,
But you‘re still my watery bloom.
“My… name‘s Jimmy.”
“Um… hi? What do you need?”
“Oh nothing… just thought that you‘d like some candy. My parents make it themselves in their store…”
“Oh… thanks.”
“No problem… You seemed like you needed it more than me, anyway. Later…”
“!”
Even with a thousand heartaches,
I can see you,
(Smiling like the sun)
I can hear you,
(Running with the breeze)
I have felt you,
So much more than my words can say.
(You‘re blooming)
Those blue eyes opened, and went to Lily. Her heart broke, and healed several times over, the tears over-flowing her eyes.
This boy… was he trying to tell her something?
He was. And it was hurting her because she couldn’t hear him.
The cheering grew.
No one sees me now,
No one heard me then,
No one can feel me here.
Do you even know I’m there?
Maybe not,
But you‘re still my watery bloom.
”…why are you here, Jimmy?”
“I - um - well, you see… uh… I just thought maybe you wanted to tell me something…”
“Well, I guess. Want to come inside?”
Even with so many heartbreaks,
I will always see you,
Dancing in the waves,
Smiling like the sun.
I will try to hear you,
Laughing like the rain,
Running with the breeze
I have felt you every day,
So much more than my words can say.
(You‘re blooming before my eyes)
Green eyes held back all she could, but instead of her read him, he was reading her. Electricity ran up and down her spine. The stronger the beat was, the more stunning those eyes became, the more Lily realized she was losing her will to resist the warmth he was offering.
Jimmy was shy, quiet, and he wore the weirdest of things.
He was her neighbor for all of high school.
Jimmy was her crying shoulder, a person she had used over and over again without even consulting his feelings, or what he thought of her. He was used.
But Jimmy continued with that look in his eyes, and continued to stare, even with Zap went on his solo with CJ.
Even with the racket and screams, the blue was screaming something she could barely understand.
What could she say? Did she feel the same as he did…?
Even in a sea of faces,
I only want to see you,
When you’re,
(At your happiest moment)
My water flower.
You‘re beautiful,
What do you want from me?
And you know it, oh-so-well,
I still wanna take a chance.
Take my heart,
Don’t mind the marks.
I‘ll love you everyday.
She was brought back to the first the song was sung for her. When she though Brandon was the one she was meant to be with, and when Jimmy was still that boy-next-door, the one who she cried to when she had arguments with her jock boyfriend.
I want your happiness
The most.
Water flower.
”…this is for the ever-changing, beautiful girl in my life… my water lily.”
Water flower.
And the water overflowed.
You wrote this for me…?
Drown me forever,
I won‘t mind for you.
-
James Xavier hated school. Everything about it. People, learning, studying, learning, people, studying, and did he mention people?
All his life, he had been bully by countless people, and so when he entered high school, James, affectionately known as Jimmy, went and dyed his hair black, bleached it a bit, and got a couple piercings. As a freshman, people labeled him as, “Emo.” But he didn’t care. He was new to this school, to these people, and if he could live for just four more years, he was FREE. But the second he stepped onto campus, his eye was immediately caught by the most popular freshmen girl in school: Lily O’Hara. She was officially deemed as his first love.
But even now, he was made fun of. Brandon Dillion, most popular freshmen guy in school, also had his eye on Lily. He swept her off her feet, and left Jimmy in the dust. Jimmy, depressed, decided he needed a hobby now that he was considered Emo, a loser, and a wimp. The boy turned to music, and he decided to try out for chorus. He had to do something.
In the band area, he was told of the Recreational Band Program, where he could learn on his own, and at his own pace, as long as he passed the first exam that was coming up. To Jimmy, this would be perfect. But the program stated that you had to try out with a group of five or more. The only group that was missing a single member was the band known as Underground Congregation. And everyone said that they were bad news.
Thr leader of the band was called Zap, his real name being Zachary, because of his electric-yellow hair, and lightning fast comebacks. He always had an insult to say, even to the most wonderful of people. It was also said that he part of the mafia, and had information on everyone… aka blackmail.
The keyboard player was Zap’s best friend (or GF, no one ever knew), Nicole. Nikki was the daughter of an rockstar and ex-hippie, and she was apparently part of a huge hollywood scandal. She sold drugs to older people for fun.
Carl Jr, CJ, was the idiot of the group, and always over-dramtized everything. He was part of the theare group. He liked to wear funky clothes. Apparently he was called a master thief becausee he was able to scale fifty foot walls with his bare hands. He was drummer.
His GF, Remmalyn, was said to be a cannibal, despite her quiet disposition. She was constantly seen with CJ, and she would nibble at him every so often. Her choice was the bass.
But when he talked to them, Jimmy thought they weren’t so band.
And so began their high school adventures of finding themselves, and finding the others…
Crappy ending, I know. Oh well DX
 Ukeire · Tue Jul 07, 2009 @ 04:26am · 0 Comments |
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