When The Stars Cross
Chapter 7
By: Erynn*Alice
Ashton laid down in her room. The walls were tall and came to an unpainted climax right above her head. In her brother's room, in their old house in Waldorf, the walls came to a point like that. She remembered laying in there late at night when he was out with friends. The only difference in the walls was that her brother's didn't have a skylight at the top, like this one.
She felt less blocked in, she felt more hope being able to lay there and see the stars shine brightly in the night sky. In two days, on Friday, she'd be going to see Good Charlotte...see Joel. Another reunion she never thought she'd get to experience.
Jeff wasn't home. Ellie was out on a date. She felt a little lonely and for a moment considered calling Kai. The idea was quickly shot down by a more conscious voice her head.
It was almost ten 'o' clock. She figured some local band would be rocking out at the bar just down the street right about now. She wondered if Joel was there, if he even was in town yet.
Her cell phone had been ringing for a while. It was Ellie every time; Ashton quit answering it considering she was marveling in the glory of watching Ellie suffer on her first blind date. Every now and then Jeff's number would appear, but she'd dismiss it just as quickly as she did when one of the new photographers called her.
She read up until eleven when it was time for her to go down and watch the feature band play at the bar. It was her duty to re-take the photos of the up-and-coming something-or-others.
Checking off the mental list of what to take to the show, she got her things together and walked downstairs. The old gray cat Jeff had given shelter since college rubbed sluggishly against her jeans. Bending down, she scratched under the feline's bell rimmed collar. Jeff, the tacky man, named the cat Mr. Bojingles and was known to get completely pissed if the cat was miss-called "Mr. Bojangles".
"Good-bye Mr. Bojangles," She whispered in the purring cat's ear before she flicked off the lights and wondered out the kitchen door into the intoxicating night.
The walk downtown never took longer than twenty minutes. Ocean air blew through the street which was crowded with all walks of life, getting along in almost-harmony.
She caught the end of the indie-emo-punk band, took her pictures, went backstage and took some more, then left for another bar to catch another one of those up-and-coming something-or-others.
She checked her notes. A few messy names were scrawled across the back of a napkin. "MEST" she decided it said, remember hearing a name such as that sometime ago; maybe it was Joel who told her, or maybe they were one of those bands that post flyers all over town. Anyway, Ashton decided on "Mest" and just hoped that the band's real name wasn't something like, "INCEST".
This bar was closer to the beach. It was amazing that the band was actually there seeing as how the place hardly received anyone at night. Beach bums often used it as shelter from the sun during the day, but at night it was normally barren.
She walked in and saw a couple of guys gathered around a group of tables laughing it up. Well, some were acting jovial while some were talking somberly. At that hour of the night she figured they had all taken a couple of shots, a few beers, however most of them seemed just a little on the tipsy side, if not sober.
A guy with Dalmatian-like hair stood up. "Hiya! You must be the photo-grapher." He shot his hand out at Ashton and took hers in his. He bowed down slowly and kissed her hand. "I am the great Tony!"
She laughed a little, amazed at the man's straight up personality. "Nice to meet you, I'm---" Her voice was abruptly cut off by another member of Mest introducing himself. She met them, sat down, and began to blend into the bar to take pictures.
Ashton was so busy taking pictures, she didn't realize when Tony slid onto stool next to her. "You look familiar. What'd you say your name was?"
"Where do I look familiar from?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I've seen you at a show?"
"Sorry, I've never been to a Mest show."
He leaned forward. "That'll have to change." He watched a fellow band member jump on the table and begin a strip tease for another guy. Ashton shifted her eyes away from the pending scene and over to Tony's dark beady gaze. "What's your name? I don't think I caught it earlier."
"Ashton Keats."
Tony leaned back on the bar as the name clicked in his mind. "Holy shit. The Ashton Keats?"
"God! Is there any way I can avoid that title!" She said and stood up. With two rolls of film from that night in her bag and two shirley temples down her throat, Ashton decided it was time to go home. "Look, it's been really nice meeting you..."
Tony stood and grabbed her wrist. "No, no, no! It's not like that, Benji Madden is my best friend, he told me all about what's been going on with Joel and all."
Her eyes quickly jumped over to Tony's, she couldn't believe how close she was to Joel. "You know?" She asked, half embarrassed and half in awe.
"Joel was just here...he left just a bit ago."
Let's hear it for heartache Let's hear it for pain
Let's hear it for poison tears that wash your dreams down the drain
Let's hear it for sleepless nights Let's do it again
Let's hear it for love Let's hear it for
Let's hear it for love Let's hear it for
Let's hear it for love
Pick your heart up off the floor
This is what you've been waiting for
Let's hear it for love Let's hear it for promises
Something sealed with a kiss
Let's hear it for big mistakes That you just couldn't resist
Let's hear it for bucket seats Let's try it like this
Let's hear it for letting someone totally ruin your life
Let's hear it for love
Let's hope it's everything you hoped it would be
Let's hear it for jealousy Let's hear it for hate
Let's hear it an apology before it's too late
Let's hear it for cigarettes Baby you were great
Let's hear it for love Let's hear it for
Let's hear it for love
("Let's Hear It For Love" by The Smoking Popes)