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Many words could be used to describe the very famous and popular town of Promepolice. High buildings, diversity, access to culture, a very active night life and plenty of public transports to wander around town easily. But what Promepolice was also known for the most was for being a particularly student-friendly city, hosting a good number of famous schools and universities where a lots of students were looking foward and, for the luckiest, heading to every year.
For those many academic institutions, September had always been the month when everyone would be promoting their clubs, associations and activities along with different charities you could be part of. The Blue Spirit University was no exception.
On a warm afternoon, Meis found himself walking on what was a grassy trail between different stands which, somehow, according to him, all looked the same. A lot of students were laughing, chatting, presenting their clubs and maintaining social skills he didn’t think he mastered enough to join them.
But despite his sudden regret created by the obligation to talk to other people, Meis reminded himself why he was here, a few days before the first day of college, during Club introduction day.
He was a freshman and, for his own well being, took the decision of joining a club.
Meis' life was good. He always did great in school, grew up with loving parents, always had everything he needed : generous meals on the table every morning, noon and evening, a nice large house, a big garden, holidays in beautiful hotels along with nice looking clothes.
In other words, Meis grew up rich. Very rich.
This money offered him the most comfortable lifestyle anyone could ask for and he was grateful for it.
Unofrtunately nothing comes for free and all this money he had access to since he was a toddler came from his parents’ very hard work. Said parents, despite showing endless love and admiration for their little boy, were often absent. Always absent. Their time was mostly spent on business trips and Meis was pretty sure they must have been out of the house around 270 days a year. Which is a lot.
He was used to spend most of his time alone. Of course, there still was the company of the house keeper three days a week and a snake his parents got him as a way to apologize for the hole they left in the house (and in their son's life), but it was far from enough.
Meis spent his time feeling terribly alone and the older he was getting, the less he felt like he could handle it.
Sure he was free to do whatever he wanted and listen to music as loud as he could, sing, play and mind his own business without anyone telling him anything. But he craved his parents’ presence in the dining room, listening to him opening up about his day, being scolded after getting a bad score or for not liking the food on his plate.
He had always been an introvert, not the type to have many friends, if barely any, and liked having his “himself” moments. But that never meant he wanted it all the time. He still yearned for company, to being able to to zone out with someone's voice in the background, someone asking him questions or listening to him, even if it meant having conversations when he didn’t feel like it.
Which was why, during this warm day of September, Meis was slowly walking between groups of students his age or older, gazing at each stand, desperately trying to find something that could trigger his curiosity. In vain.
It had been twenty minutes. twenty long minutes of avoiding any eye contact with people so cheerful it made him sick. Twenty minutes of quickly picturing himself in one of those clubs and see if he’ll make it to the end of the year. He never makes it to the end of the first month.
He felt bad about it. He wanted to meet people and work on himself in order to make his life more interesting. More like every other young adult his age. He really did. But he also wanted to be real, to not force himself into a hobby, hoping one day he’ll get passionate about it. It’d only makes it worse. And worst is not what he was looking for.
He could hardly swallow his disappointment as he kept walking and the trail got quieter and emptier, with fewer stands, less people and with clubs no one really cared about. Something that probably wouldn't interest him either.
That was it. It was time to go home. Meis didn’t find anything and was already mentally preparing himself for a new long year of loneliness. He who thought college life would change anything about his situashion...
He was about to turn on his heels and head back home until a music he happened to know started playing. His heart skipped a bit. He knew this sound as it was a music only a small community of people knew from a group created by 3 teenagers a few months ago. He heard about them on social media, listened to it and actually enjoyed it.
He stopped walking and lifted his head, eye locking with the very last stand, isolated and two meters away from the others. A single table was decorated with a dark bander glued to the front with “Visual Kei” written in a messy yet good looking handwriting, a bluetooth speaker from which the music Meis heard was, and two alternative looking guys : one who seemed slightly older and the other younger than him sitting on chairs while talking about its volume.
The first one he noticed was sitting down, split hair which was messy and cut short but puffy, dyed a vibrant red on one side, black on the other, a big choker around his neck along with a shirt that must have been part of a band's merch while it was in town. He kept moving his head to the side because of a strand of hair that kept going into his eyes all while he was looking down at his phone, probably the one connected to the speaker. His other hand was tapping the table, following the rhythm of the song.
The other one was standing next to him and looking down at the same phone. His hair was white, looking dead (probably with the amount of time he must have bleached it) and cut in what seemed to be a messy wolf cut. He was wearing a long black coat with tons of belts over it, a necklace with a key over his neck and eyeliner wings over his eyelids.
Meis wondered if he wasn’t too hot. Sure the temperatures weren’t similar to heat waves but it was still early September. Despite wearing a black hoodie himself, the idea of wearing such a coat today was enough to make him feel like he was sweating.
Their second hand or torn clothes, messy haircuts, attitudes and what seemed to be strong personalities were the opposite of what Meis was. Of what Meis thought he needed to be. Perfect straight hair, basic clothes, fear to wear makeup or to look too different from society’s standards, always listening to the musical styles he knew were different from the norm by himself, fear of speaking too loudly or to make people notice his presence…. He had nothing to do with those people.
Yet, he couldn't find in him the desire to look away.
And that one figure, standing still in front of them, ended up catching the white hair individual’s attention. He stopped looking at his friend’s phone to turn around to look at Meis and after a few long seconds of silence when he understood that said boy didn’t notice him, he spoke in order to catch his attention.
“You must be the first person who actually stopped in front of us”
Meis’ blue eye (the one which wasn’t hiding behind his hair) widened in surprise when he realized this sentence was addressed to him. When he looked up, purple eyes locked with his and it felt like they were staring right into his soul.
Another pair of eyes joined when the person with red hair looked up from their phone with curiosity.
“Sorry I just got lost in my thoughts, I was about to leave”
The red hair just shruged, as if he wasn’t expecting a different answer from Meis and looks back down at his phone while the white head simply sighs but doesn't quite break eye contact.
Something inside of Meis was screaming at him to not turn his back and walk home. He wanted to, at least, try something. Try to interact. He had a good feeling about this table, it was the perfect occasion.
“Mmmm...Actually, I was surprised by the music you guys are currently playing on the speaker.”
The coat wearing individual raised an eyebrow.
“This music ?”
Said music was currently a guitar solo slightly covered by the lead singer of the group's voice.
“Yea.”
“Do you like it ? The name of the group is “The Scared Sha-”
“The Scared Shadow. I know.”
It was now the guy's turn to open his eyes wide in surprise while the other person whistled in what seemed to be a sarcastic (or genuine) admiration.
“You know them ?”
Meis noded, confident. “I’m actually a little fan. Their very first song was recommended to me on social media and I just grew attached to them”
“Interesting. What’s your favorite one ?”
“Hard one but I’ll say “Purple night”. You ?”
The tall man leaned on the table, thinking about his answer. “I’ll say…. Maybe “Haunted Melodies” or “Chocking”
“Haunted Melodies is so underrated”
“Saying that about a group that has less than 5000 listeners per month is wild. The entire group is underrated”
Meis laughed softly. When he caught himself doing so, he felt happy. It was a good beginning and those guys seemed more interesting than he thought. Even though one was barely paying attention to him. “Yea right… That was dumb of me.”
It was the other man’s turn to chukle before a silence hit them a few seconds after. Meis didn’t want to ruin something that started so well so he quickly thought about something to say and kept going. “So...Are you guys like..A group? Or just a fanclub?”
“Well we are trying to be a group but it’s hard when there are only two official members with a third one that doesn't know if he’ll stick with us or not and currently looking for a 4th one to let the college give us the right to settle down in a room.”
“Then what ? Are you guys planing on giving concerts ?”
“We would like to.” The younger looking one finally spoke again “College parties, events… maybe local bars...Anyone that wants us. Which isn’t gonna be much if this continues.”
“Not much ? But you guys are the only music group I saw while walking down the trail. People should be begging for you to play.”
“Yea no. Normies begging for a group of dyed haired, alternative clothed dudes playing “emo music” just like they love to call it ? Not happening. They just see us as the “weird kids from middle school who somehow made it to college without breaking out of their weird phases.””
And this exact sentence spoke to Meis. Spoke to something inside he had been trying to bury deep inside himself for a long time.
“I find you guys pretty cool”
Purple eyes locked on him as the white hair guy smiled. “Well… Maybe that means you’re a weird one too then”
“Maybe…”
“Play any instruments ?”
“Piano, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin and a bit of harp. Oh and I can sing too.”
This single sentence had the two men’s jaws drop to the floor, eyes staring at him with both respect and interest. Meis just blushed and shruged, looking to the side.
“Boredom makes you do a lot of things.”
“Ok..Wow… Hum… How about you turn your boredom into rehearsals ?”
“I think I’d like that.”
The tall one circled the table of his own stand and stood in front of Meis, presenting a tattooed hand decorated by different silver rings. “Name is Lance. You ?”
Meis looked at the hand offered to him and back at Lance’s face with a shy yet happy and charming smile. “Name’s Meis”
They shook their pale hands.
“Well Meis, I know you are going to do great in my group”
°°°
Ignoring his desire to go home that afternoon was by far the best decision Meis took for years.
Long evenings alone turned into hours long rehearsals in one of the few college’s music room offered to them after their club officially became a band in the eyes of the administration.
When the college was closed, they were all heading to Sam’s (the one with red and black hair) basement. His house was barely half the size of Meis’ but it was comfortable and full of life, especially when the 4 of them were bringing their instruments with them and were playing their own compositions along with learning how to play covers of already famous ones.
Lance was always the author of the group’s original songs and everyone liked it that way. He was a real artist with an amazing musical ear. His endless inspiration and charisma made him take the lead of the group even despite never having an official conversation about it.
He was the singer along with the bassist.
Sam was the drummer. A very good one, thanks to his surprisingly good arms and hands coordinations.
Luks used a keytar. He wasn’t the type of guy people would think is in a Visual Key band yet here he was for everyone's pleasure.
Meis was playing the electric guitar. He wished he could play more or sing but he was happy with what he had already. Plus, Lance agreed to let him be a chorist because he thought his voice worked great with his own notes, giving it harmony. He only had one line or two and had to sing very low so his voice wouldn't cover Lance’s, but he was satisfied with that.
However what mattered the most was that Meis wasn’t alone anymore. Up to three rehearsals a week, a very active groupchat, nights out in bars or hanging out at Meis’ or Sam’s place… They were together almost every single day. Walls covered by posters or family pictures were plastered with more and more new pictures of the boys after playing, during a sleepover, at the cinema, a night out at the bar or even at a concert… Meis found himself staring at all of them, replacing them again and again with an unusual perfectionism, a huge smile on his face before going to bed every night, falling asleep happy, physically alone but mentally happier than ever.
Along with that, it brang back to the surface his deep interest for extravagant makeups. It took him time to find his very own stage persona but it felt worth it. He could spend an embarrassing amount of time in front of his mirror, learning how to draw shapes over his face and adding thousands of details. He learnt pretty fast due to his past interest in “self personalisation”. Body paints, eye liners, powder, eyeshadows and other elements also found their place in the boy’s room.
His passion for music also came back and all of the sudden, the electric guitar which had been eating dust for years in the garage was now shining and constantly in its gig bag or next to Meis’ bed, ready to be used for him to train or work on Lance’s recent compositions.
According to the bassist, Meis was the most invested after himself.
"You actually know it by heart already ??? Meis you’re amazing !” Sam exclaimed during one of their weekly rehearsals, right after Meis finished scratching his guitar to a brand new song.
Luks was clapping and Lance looked at Meis with that proud smile of his that could easily make anyone blush.
“It always sounds so good coming from you Meis.”
That single sentence had Meis shivering and feeling like he finally belonged somewhere.
His sparkle was finally back along with his unconditional love for his favorite hobby and this feeling of emptiness was now just a distant and blurry memory.
°°°
It had been three months since the group Souls Ablazed had been formed. Three months since its four members became best friends and were now the proud creators of four different original songs, made and led under Lance’s perfectionist and judgmental eyes and ears.
Following the begining of December, the cold campus’ walls found themselves covered with a good number of the same posters everywhere, promoting the college’s Winter ball. Every December, this anual and very popular event took place in one of the building. All students were free to attend along with anyone in town as long as they paid extra money for a ticket.
For a college ball, this event always managed to bring hundreds of people and was known as one of the major “must attend” nights in town.
The gardens weren’t as crowded as they used to be at the beginning of the year due to the very low temperatures. Despite that, two girls were sitting on a picnic table, shivering under their coats and were blowing smoke from their cigarettes all while staring at a notebook between them. They both looked defeated.
“I can’t believe they called off on us. We’re screwed”
“Don’t say that, we’re gonna find another one”
“Find another group ? Finding a good one, asking them, negotiating the paycheck, listening to their program and making them sign a contract in less than 2 weeks ? That’s impossible !”
The second girl buried her head on her hands
“Hey I’m trying to be positive !
"There is a thin gap between positive and delusional."
There is a long silence between the two women, only broken by the sound of their mouths blowing the smoke until one of them took a deep breath.
“Or we just don’t get a group. It’s fine, we already have a DJ anyway.”
“Girl, we wrote “SURPRISE GROUP” in capital letters, they are all going to wait for it. We can’t just not bring one”
“Let’s remake the posters and call them crazy if they mention any supposed presence of a group”
The blond one looked at her with a raised eyebrow, implying a “are you serious??”.
“Chill, it was a joke.”
Amanda let out another sigh which makes her blond curtain bangs fly softly.
Yet another long silence descends, both girls desperately trying to find any solution or accommodation to save the promised program of the ball.
Sarah let out a growl and leaned back, neck arched until a figure in the distance caught her attention. “Hey is that Lance ?”
She pointed to the tall man who seemed to be waiting alone in the cold, one hand in a pocket of his iconic long black coat, the other one bringing a cigarette to his mouth and patiently looking at the college gate. Despite the soft blow of the wind, his hair stayed perfectly in place which was pretty impressive yet concerning.
Amanda looked up and noticed the figure.
“Yup, it’s definitely him. Could recognize him anywhere.”
“I haven’t seen him in the association once this year.”
“That’s because he left it at the beginning of the semester”
Sarah gasped and looked back at her friend. “Did he ??”
“Yea, I was there when he did”
“Why ? He was one of the best elements of the student association !”
“Apparently he opened a club. He wasn’t sure it would work so he just told us that his presence would depend on how it’s going. Apparently it went well”
“What kind of club ?”
“Dunno” Amanda shrugged after tapping a bit of her cigarette’s ashes away. Her blue eyes lifted to stare at Lance standing there alone and her eyes softened before she forced her thoughts away.
“I wish he was still with us though. This entire “finding a decent group in 2 weeks” thing would have been over right away. He always had the best ideas.”
“True, he had always been impressively creative.”
“And weird.”
“You’re just saying that because he rejected you.”
“SHUT UP !”
Sarah laughed and just shrugged. “What ? Just saying”
“Like you wouldn't smash him ?”
“I USED to smash him but his hair is a big no for me.”
“I wonder how this thing is still on his head. Perfectly white like this without any visible roots 24/7 ? He must bleach it way too often”
“You think he’d look good bald ?”
“Depends on tastes and colours.”
“He is a little weird though, you’re right.”
“A little ? He is nice and all but if we didn’t know each other from the students association, I would have never approached him. Guys wearing makeup, piercings and colored hair ? No thank you, I’m not into Emos”
“I don’t think that’s how you call that style”
“Aren’t they all the same ? Gothic, emo and stuff ?”
“You ask ME about that ?”
“Yea right. But you know what else is weird ?”
“No ?”
“Not having a secret group playing for one of the biggest event of the year. Let’s focus”
With a perfectly coordinated long sigh, the two ladies went back to their google searches and ideas that had a serious lack of potential for that one night they already pictured being screwed. Sarah thought it was hopeless until, when she raised her head to look at the sky, she noticed a new individual running in Lance’s direction. Navy blue hair flying as the wind blowed, dressed in all black and smiling widely. But what mostly caught her attention was the presence of a Guitare case behind his back.
When Lance saw him, he smiled and threw his cigarette away before the second individual reached him. They shared few words before starting to head to one of the building together.
Sarah snapped her fingers next to Amanda’s ear to get her attention before pointing at the two boys who just pushed a building's doors open.
Both students shared a glance that meant everything they needed to know and in a matter of seconds, they put their notebooks, pens and water bottles back into their tote bags proudly displaying the university’s name and left their finished cigarettes on the wooden table.
Sprinting with heels wasn’t easy but they both took the risk of ending up with spread ankles if that meant they could get into the building in time as to not lose track of Lance and whoever that guy with him was. This effort wasn’t vain since they managed to get inside just in time to hear two voices still clear enough to indicate that their owners took the stairs on the left, but also to make the girls produce body heat after the effort which kept them warm in this one building which was known as the worst of the campus and without any single heater, considering barely any classes were taking place there.
“This is the perfect place for a potential music group ! No one hangs out here so it’s not a nuisance for anyone and they get to play as loud as they can !” Sarah whispered with excitment, slowly going up the stairs in order to avoid anyone noticing their presence and the fact that, along with Amanda, they were sneaking behind two boys who had no clue they were being stalked.
“Shush ! We don’t even know if it’s a music group yet ! Maybe this guy just had a rehearsal before and didn’t have the time to drop his instrument at home before meeting dead hair guy.”
“Be positive geez !”
When they finally reached the last floor, they arrived just in time to see one of the room’s doors closing, indicating that it was the chosen one. Driven by her usual enthusiasm and the possibility of a solution to the winter ball problem, Sarah almost slammed herself on the door to listen, shortly followed by Amanda.
It had now been around ten minutes.
Amanda had quickly given up on listening at the door and was now sitting on the floor, back against the opposite wall, her notebook back on her lap while Sarah was still kneeling against the door, past smile now replaced by a desperate expression.
“I told you they weren’t a music group! This guy carrying a guitar was just a coincidence.”
“You’re right. Guess we still have to search the-”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence, a very heavy and sudden electric guitar sound made the both of them jump in surprise and made her quickly move her head away, covering her poor ear which had gotten assaulted by the loud and unexpected noise.
Not aware of the situation, barely a few seconds after, the four boys started to play one of Lance’s original creations and the girls felt like they had just won the lottery.
The sound of drums was loud and aggressive, yet controlled and pleasant to listen to.
The electric guitar was being played by what seemed to be a professional who knew what he was doing.
They weren’t sure they had ever heard keytar being played, but it seems to be such an amazing discovery because each notes were mixed with one another in a way that felt like a stroke on sensitive skin.
The bass was hard to hear for inexperienced ears like theirs but the singer’s voice…
The voice of an angel, not too loud, not too low, never hitting a wrong note, high notes were on point and it felt like it was guiding each instrument, creating a sense of leadership and harmony.
Another voice could be heard at the very back, bringing a somehow melancholic support to the main one.
Thirty seconds of music was enough for Sarah and Amanda to share a look that, once again, needed little to no translation. The next few minutes, they were just there, still sitting on the floor and looking at each other while listening to this free concert. It almost felt illegal to hear such blessings knowing that they weren’t supposed to be there in the first place.
After twenty minutes, the group took a break and stopped playing to head back to their conversations and that’s when the girls looked at each other again with crazy looking facial expressions. They found what they were looking for.
“This was PER-FECT !” Sarah whispered louder than she probably imagined.
“Tonight I’m sending a text to Lance to ask him and his group to play for the ball”
“No ! If you do that he’ll find out that we sneaked in ! Pretend you saw one of his friends walking with an instrument and wanted to know if that one friend was playing anywhere, so he is going to tell you that he has a group and THEN we ask to listen to them so it sounds genuine AND we ask them to play for the event !”
“You are so smart !”
“I know right ! Now hurry, let’s go before-”
This time, running would have been useless. None of the two students got the time to stand up before the door suddently open on Lance, his eyes leaning on both of them as they froze, totally quiet.
“I knew we had an audience, my gut feeling is never wrong” His eyes went to Amanda for the second time. “Amanda, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Amanda stood up and looked to the side with a blush she hated herself for having on her cheeks.
Lance presented his hand with long fingers to Sarah to help her stand up. “Are you guys here for a reason or is it a coincidence ?”
After exchanging their hundred look of the afternoon, Amanda noded and Sarah took the lead, deciding that honesty might be their best friend in this awkward situation. “Well you know we are still part of the student association since you used to be part of it too?”
“Mmmhm ?”
“I’m going to make it short, Winter ball is coming, as usual pretty much the entire college is planning on going and we sold PLENTY of tickets to people out of the school. You probably saw it on the posters we put everywhere but we promised a surprise group during the night. Well guess what ? They canceled on us and we were desperately trying to find another one until we saw one of your friends joining you with a guitar on his back and we wondered if you guys, by any chance, had a group which you do. So we wanted to-”
“To know if we could play for the winter ball ?”
“Yea basically.” Amanda answered, finally looking back at Lance
The tall student smiled and opened the door behind his back before stepping to the side to give the girls enough room to step in. “Don’t just ask me, ask them”
Getting the hint, both of them got their bags on the floor and entered the room.
They didn’t have any particular expectations yet but they weren’t disappointed. They all looked like they would be friends with Lance.
Dyed hair, tons of rings waiting on the tables for their owners to be done playing to be put back on their fingers, mostly dark clothes and bags with music pins or patches.Everything and everyone in this room was screaming weird and emo. That was too weird for both Sarah's and Amanda's comfort but it’s not like they had any other choices. They had to swallow their judgments and pretend not to be bothered by the extravagance.
Amanda smiled at Sam who seemed to see right through her false grin and rolled his eyes before looking at his drumsticks, suddenly a thousand times more interesting than her.
Sarah saw Meis who was sitting on the table, looking at them while his fingers were softly strumming his guitar’s strings without really paying attention to it. When he noticed her gaze on him, he smiled at her as she wondered if he was able to see her properly since his left eye was totally covered by his long dark hair.
Luks soon joined Meis and sat next to him on the edge of the table while Lance was presenting them to their unexpected guests.
“Sam is our drummer, Luks over there plays the keytar, Meis is handling the electric guitar and he is also my chorist. When it comes to me, I am the bassist and the lead singer. And the creator of all of our original songs.”
“So you were the lead singer ? Why am I not surprised” Amanda tried to tease but the pink of her cheeks seems to have made an entrance again the moment Lance chuckled.
“Is that a compliment or should I reconsider my place in this group ?”
“It’s a compliment, I always told you you had a very beautiful voice”
“You’re too sweet Amanda”
Meis caught himself suddenly playing a very wrong and very low note on his guitar the moment he caught the two smiling at each other. He looked down at his instrument with confusion, not getting what could've caused this sudden sound. Luks looked down too but seemed to think nothing out of it because he just chuckled and went back to follow the main conversation.
Sarah went back into her explanations and told the group once again why they were there and asked if they were all up for the task of being that one promised surprise group for the big night.
A long silence followed her question. It was awkward for the two girls who just looked at all of them with that one polite but embarrassed smile before Sam finally decided to be the one to speak up first, never moving from his seat behind his drums.
“Yea no. Not happening.”
Every faces present in the room turned to look at him. He continued, his sentences short but sufficient. “If you reach out for us just because we are the very last solution then no. We aren’t just some sort of last choice or whatsoever”
“Wait no !” Sarah exclaimed. “We heard you guys playing, your music really is amazing, you’re not a last choice, you’re a discovery, it’s different ! We had no idea there was a music club in the college !”
“Visual Kei, not “music club” Luks follows, looking suspicious. He had lost his smile the moment he saw the ladies entering the room and his face was now painted with a very wary look.
Amanda swallowed yet another sigh when she understood that even the most “normal” looking one wasn’t on their side but she forced the smile into her face and kept negotiating.
“Visual Kei ? That’s a pretty name for your group! It really suits huh…. you guys’ energy !”
This answer made both Meis and Luks laugh, both trying to be discreet. Sam just rolled his eyes once again and hit one of the drums, looking bored. Lance had an embarrassed smile on his face but managed to stay serious enough to put his hand on her shoulder. “Actually, Visual Kei is a musical genre, not the name of our group..”
“A style ? It pretty much sounded like Rock if you ask me”
“It has similarities but it’s not exactly the same.” Meis allowsmed himself to say, catching the girls and Lance’s attention. “And it’s not just about the music we play, it’s also about your style. Visual Kei groups are known for their heavy makeups along with very alternative outfits and hairstyles. It’s one way to say fuck you to norms while playing with androgynous looks and theatrical performances.”
Once again, the ladies looked at one another with a look that meant everything according to Sam who spoke up again, leaving no room for more negotiations.
“So not the type of group you guys are looking for. You can keep searching because we won’t be playing for the ba-”
“Ok hold on a second, let’s not rush into a conclusion !” Lance cuts short by speaking over him and throwing an interrogative look at the drummer.
“I guess we need time to have a proper conversation about it. We’ll keep the proposition in mind though”
Sarah let out a deep breath of relief as she spined to look back at him. “Ok yes, please talk about it ! But if you don’t mind, please don’t take too long. The event is in two weeks and we reeeeeaaaaally need to be fixed !”
“Oh don’t worry about it ! We won’t take too long and I’ll send a message to Amanda on insta to let her know our answer.”
Amanda gave Lance another smile that made Sam and Luks roll their eyes and Meis held into his guitar tighter, almost painfully.
"Ok then, we won’t bother you guys any longer” Sarah concluded with excitement as she pushed her best friend toward the door. Once they were out of the room she tapped her phone as a last reminder.
Lance noded and waved at them as they walk away. “I won’t forget to text, I promise !”
The classroom’s door closed in a light “boom” and the singer rolled his eyes, gesture followed by a shared laughter from the three others. Luks recrossed his arms and stretched.
“Sarah and Amanda huh ? They used to bully my girlfriend.”
“Did they ?” Sam asked, his usual friendly looking expression back on his face as he shook his head to get rid his hair out of his face.
“Yup. Grown women are still bullying each other in college. Shocking.”
“Never heard of them but I can tell from their looks and attitude that we are not what they are looking for. They just need people able to hold an instrument to take the stage for this stupid ball.”
“They’re not that bad. Just painfully basic.” Lance adds, sliding the strap of his bass over his shoulder again.
“Does this mean they basically followed us and waited in front of the door ? Creepy.” Meis continued, making sure his guitar was still plugged to the speakers in the room.
“We have our very first creepy fans Meis, how amazing !” Lance throws at him with a big smile.
“Yea, not sure I already want that.”
“I totally don’t understand why. Ok guys, let’s get back to it and once we’re done with today’s repetitions, I’ll get all of you a drink.”
“Oh Lance you always know how to talk to a drummer” Sam moaned, pretending to faint on his drums, followed by Luks who pretended to be tearing up with emotions.
The white hair man just playfully rolled his eyes and turns to Meis again. “You told us your best friend was a bartender didn’t you ?”
“Wow you actually remembered ?”
“Of course I did, what you say is important to me.” Intense purple lenses stared into one visible saphire eye, his owner ending up breaking eye contact and nodding, trying his best to ignore the feeling of his pale cheeks heating up.
“Yes he does. He works at that one bar next to the stadium.”
“Perfect. We shall pay him a visit tonight. I wanna know who gets to be the one and only best friend of the intimidating Meis.”
“Not sure "intimidating" is the word.”
“Your aura is strong, trust me. You’re just shy but the day you’ll overcome that ? Pretty sure you are going to become a threat for all of u- GUYS STOP THAT!”
Meis quikly looked down to stare at his legs, kicking from where he was sitting while Lance was trying to push Sam and Luks who were pretending to be ladies in distress, holding onto his legs and shoulders.
Intimidating ? Such words coming from someone like him felt like the best compliment he could ever receive.
Lance was right and he knew it. In the group he was, from far, the shyest one. He was doubting his abilities, yes, but the main reason why he felt like it was hard for him to step out of the box and just enjoy himself without restriction was because, unlike him, Luks, Lance and Sam never tried to hide who they were. People had to like them for who they were and if they didn’t they would just cut ties. But Meis spent so much time alone that he forced his personality and desire to express himself with art down his throat so his chance to be included would get higher.
He obviously knew that with his new best friends, he could be free to be who he was without fearing judgments or dirty looks but stepping out of a box you forced yourself for so long isn’t easy.
When he looked back up, those spiral thoughts stopped right away, replaced by admiration and amusement at the view of the three other boys just goofying around and teasing each other, looking from afar until Lance reached out for him in a cry for help as the two other kept clinging to him, showering him with exaggerated praises and fake love declarations, thanking him for offering the drinks tonight. Meis laughed, his thin dark hair, a little up his armpits, moving along until his arms got grabbed and he was forced to join whatever the others were doing. Four individuals now pushing and dragging each other all over the room, a mix of white, black, red and brown hair moving around.
°°°
The 18th wasn’t the biggest bar in town, far from it. But ever since it opened 20 years ago, it was known for its warm and welcoming atmosphere along with its atypical decorations that could make anyone feel at home. Wooden furnitures, speakers on each corners of the place playing the music the bartender currently on shift decided to play as long as it wasn’t too hardcore, posters, gifts from regulars, pictures of employees through the years, a wall on which you could write any message you felt like leaving behind you as a souvenir of your visit and, most importantly, very friendly and open to all communities. The size of the bar was creating a sense of closeness between the clients and the employees and it was a place where it was possible to find comfort and company during rough moments, or just a place to hang out at night, alone or in a group, to enjoy small artists performing or just happy evenings.
But what made The 18th so popular was mostly its location, right next to the city’s stadium, just across the street. Many supporters were heading there after the end of a game and were finishing their nights, celebrating a victory or drowning their sadness and hopes in the local beers the owner, Ignis, always presented to them.
Unfortunately, everything radically changed in a matter of months. The 18th wasn’t as frequented as it used to be and its name was no longer the answer to anyone nearby asking where to spend the night.
Noticing the success of Ignis’ place he used to hang out in a lot, and understanding the strategy behind its location, Kray, a young and ambitious man jumped on the opportunity the moment an old estate agency situated less than two minute from where it was decided to sell the building. Using his funds, he opened a new, modern and bigger bar called “Foresight’s brewing”. Bright new led lights, a larger place, a menu which tripled the size of The 18th’s one and attractive young women employed as barmaids or waitresses.
It didn’t take long for Foresight’s Brewing to steal the crown and all of the sudden, The 18th become a blurred memory of loud and fun nights bringing everyone together and instead, became the second choice when Kray’s place was full or the place to be for those who wanted to spend a chill night because they knew that calm was guaranteed here.
If Ignis and his employees were happy to see clients, it was very painful for them to know that those people were here to relax and talk about everything and nothing in peace when, less than 2 years ago, they were hosting endless nights, getting home at 5am with tinnitus and had to spend hours counting the financial revenue around very much earned drinks.
Tonight was no exeption as the place was far from being full. Nothing much to expect from a Thursday evening anymore since most college students who wanted to celebrate their early Week-end were heading to Foresight’s brewing. A few tables were still occupied but nothing compared to what it used to be.
The bartender on the clock that evening long gave up on hopelessly waiting for many people to get in as he was drying the inside of a glass with a clean rag. “Piano Man” was being played on the speaker, a song that Lio Fotia thought was matching this situation.
Lio had been one of Ignis’ loyal bartenders for almost 3 years now, meaning he was there when it was still the place to be for most people. He used to share the bar with his colleagues Remy, Aina and Lucia in order to make the drinks faster when nights were a never ending rush and he missed the fun they were having together despite sometimes wanting to strangle each other. But being a barman wouldn't be as fun as it is if it wasn’t for those types of feelings and the realization that once the place is closed no, they don’t hate each other, it was just the rush.
They no longer needed to share it now, one person was more than enough for one shift and so, was left to make both cocktails and beers, and, if they were lucky, shots or Gin and tonic.
Lio looked up from the glass and the rag when he heard the belt hanging over the door ringing, indicating the door had gotten pushed open, followed by different voices.
His jaw almost dropped to the floor when he saw the group of individuals who all seem to be around his age : Colorful hair, extravagant clothes, makeup, nails polished, pins on some of their clothes and instruments on their backs. Nothing the short man would have expected. It was to the point of wondering why alternative looking people like this would want to spend their time here and not a few houses away where a lot of other young adults who weren’t afraid to step out of the box like him and those new customers loved to hang out. It wasn’t until the 4th and last person of the group got in and closed the door behind them that Lio got the answer to his question. However, it didn’t whipe the smile off his face as he threw the rag over his shoulder and put the glass to the side, along with its twins.
The moment Meis’ only visible eye met Lio’s, his dark purple lips stretched into a big smile and he gently pushed his friends to the side to get to his best one.
The small man stepped out of the bar and opened his arms for the long haired man as an invitation which he took and hugged back while Luks and Sam were looking around for a table with electrical outlets nearby to charge their phones. Lance stayed a few feet behind Meis, admiring the decoration.
“It’s been a long time since your last visit. I was starting to think you joined Kray too.”
“And his cocktails that taste like nothing but sugar mixed with the most industrial liquids you can possibly find and plastic straws ? No way. Plus, the candy skewers are way better here. And bigger.”
“Oh then if you came back for the candy skewers and the paper straws then I guess it’s worth it !”
“I care about the turtles.”
They both shared a chuckle before Lio ( forced to be on tip toes) looked behind Meis’ shoulder, spotting Lance, now giving his attention to the different beers presented on the bar. Now that he thought of it, he remembered seeing those three guys’ faces before. It was on Meis’ instagram page where he was sometimes putting selfies or silly pictures of them on his story or even posting some others if they were matching his aesthetic enough.
“Oh ? Are those the ones and only Souls Ablaze ?” he asks teasingly as he was now paying attention to Luks pushing Sam who was fighting back in order to plug in his phone first in the only electrical outlets around.
“Oh right, yea !” Meis had such a proud smile on his face that it melted Lio’s heart. It was good to finally see his best friend hanging out more just like he wished. At least, hanging out outside of this bar where he used to spend most of his time to both visit Lio and stay with him until closing time so they could chat and laugh together (Meis’ was often secretly sharing his cocktails with Lio just so the tiny bit of alcohol, normally forbidden on the clock, could make his long and empty shifts funnier and more enjoyable) but also because it was the only place where he could have valuable social interactions.
One of the reasons why Meis didn’t have many friends was mostly because he was picky. He always told Lio that it wasn’t true but he was not open or wasn’t even trying to be close to people who didn’t seem to be slightly similar to him. Something Lio honestly couldn't blame but which justified Meis’ loneliness. On top of that, the denial of his own situation wasn’t helping in any way.
Here, Meis was with his childhood best friend of course but he also grew closer to Ania, Remy and Lucia. Even the boss Ignis had gotten used to seeing him around and had already offered him free drinks. He became one of the regulars, always sitting on one of the high stools right in front of the bar to the point of sometimes being teased as “a member of the team” which never failed to make him smile and feel included.
Now it had been a few weeks since his last visit due to being busy with the band and hanging out with his new friends. Lio didn’t feel left out at all considering him and Meis were still chatting on social medias all the time and even if he was longing his best friend’s presence and sarcasm in front of him while he was drawing beers, his absence meant that he was finally enjoying himself more than he used to and that was the best thing Lio could wish for for him.
“The punk you're seeing getting pushed, with red and black hair, it’s Sam ! Luks is the one pushing with his curly brown hair and splint around the wrist. And standing behind me, it’s-”
“I’m Lance. Nice to meet you.”
Meis was cut short by Lance suddenly presenting his hand to Lio while wrapping the other around his shoulders, making his heart skip a beat.
Lio was surprised by the sudden action and even more disturbed by the face Meis was making because pink on this man’s cheeks was a first. He shook Lance’s hand.
“Lio. Very nice to meet you.”
“It’s great to finally meet the one and only.”
“One and only ?”
Lance laughed and pulled his hand away along with the arm he wrapped around Meis’ shoulders. “Sorry that sounded weird. I meant to meet the one on every picture Meis has in his room before we arrived. Hope you don’t mind sharing him with me and the others.”
Lio tried to avoid the urge of throwing a confused glance at Meis and focused on laughing politely. “Oh I see my bad. Then it’s a pleasure to finally see the people with whom you are going to become famous Meis”
Meis rolled his eyes and took the liberty to grab two menus on the counter before handing them to Lance and letting him sit down with the others.
The bartender leaned down. “Am I missing something ?”
“Missing ? Missing what ?”
“Oh I don’t know, the face you made when he wrapped his arm around your shoulders ?”
“Don’t be like that, he was just being friendly.”
“Yea sure. Now go sit down too. Oh and tell your friends that we have electrical outlets behind the bar. They can just hand me their phones and cables, I’ll plug them.”
“Sure thing Boss” Meis winked before joining the trio, taking his coat off on the way to the table they chose.
The, still confused, man looked at them from the corner of his eye while drying another glass which was left to his side, lost in his thoughts until another client got his attention.
“Hey boss ! Another round for our table please !”
“On it Greg !”
°°°
It had been one hour and a half since the Souls Ablaze sat around the table next to one of the windows. True to his words, Lance paid for everyone's drinks and even paid extra for snack chips, olives and cheese cubes. All four of them were getting a little tipsy due to all the pretty strong cocktails they ordered afterward but it didn't made their night any less better.
“No I swear I’m like the best at the Cotton Eye Joe dance ! I can do it for hours without a break.” Luks explained after a conversation which probably had nothing to do with this but still ended up in a random debate about who was the best at the most random activities.
“Yea I don’t trust you. You clearly never saw me doing it.” Sam answered after biting one of the green lemons Meis had left in his, now empty, mojito glass. “I don’t look like one but I’m a good dancer. You guys just aren’t ready to admit that.”
That made the three others giggle until Luks, after taking another sip of his Moscow Mule, gave the red and black head a competitive look. “Are you sure about that ?”
“Positive.”
“Ok then, we’re gonna figure it out right now !”
Luks jumped from the table before anyone could say anything, his grin never leaving his face, and stood in front of the bar.
Lio was on his phone, done cleaning, drying and reorganizing the bar along with restocking the fridges and had already wiped the counter for the tenth time tonight. His cell phone hidden from the camera, he was scrolling, finger swiping on the screen until a voice which seemed to be addressed to him made the blond look up. “Hey man ! Sorry for bothering you, can I request something ?”
“Sure, what do you want ?”
He stared at Luks with a raised eyebrow, not expecting a musical request and even less a request to put Cotton Eye Joe on the bar’s speakers. But it was Meis’ friend. None of the other clients present seemed to really care about the current spotify playlist playing in the background and if they wanted to have a little fun, who was he to refuse ?
Following the request, he shrugged, not without smiling and walked to the Ipad controlling the music before taping the song’s title and scrolling to find it.
While he was busy doing so, Sam was already standing in the middle of the bar where there was enough place for those who wanted to dance, ready and soon joined by Luks who stood next to him and Lance who thought it’d be fun to join them.
Lio went back to his quest of finding something to do while the first few notes could be heard but he couldn't hide the surprise on his face when he saw Meis standing up and joining his friends. Friends who all seemed as shocked as he was. If his self confidence was slowly starting to improve, taking the decision to join everyone for a dance in front of other people by himself was a first.
Feeling the eight eyes staring at him, he just played it off.
“Hey I’m from Texas remember ? If anyone here has to master a country dance, it’s me.”
For the next three minutes and fifteen seconds, the 18th was filled with loud laughters from the four band mates dancing, pushing each other, walking on each other’s feet and whining from the pain of their ribs accidentally hitting tables’ corners. It had been a while since the place felt so alive and joyful. Lio looked at the scene with a big smile. Even Ignis left his office after hearing such noises and was, at first, as surprised as everyone to see the usually shy Meis dancing but soon just filled with happiness and gratitude to finally meeting such atmosphere in his bar. The four men’s energy was contagious since some of the other clients who turned their heads to look at them dancing with curiosity decided to stand up and join too, creating a small circle of people clumsily trying to follow the steps.
Lance gave up, breathless at half of the song and it became a competition between Meis and Luks after Sam tripped and decided to also abandon and see who would win the battle. Both of the two finalists stopped after the end of the song but a unanimous choice from everyone who participated or watched it elected Meis as the winner.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe his pride, but he couldn't help but smirk proudly and give everyone a little bow before looking up and down at his friends in a teasing manner.
“Told you I'd win. My culture isn’t your choreography.”
Sam jumped on him and went on tip toes to try to be slightly taller than him, ruffled his hair with his wrist and forced his head down as Meis laughed and tried to fight back. “That doesn’t mean anything bitch ! I want revenge !” He turned to Lio, fluffy hair flying as he did so. “Can you put other stupid songs with humiliating choreographies everyone knows ? We aren’t done here !”
The bartender looked at his boss who looked clearly amused but mostly happy to finally see people having fun and gave Lio a nod that meant “Go ahead, go wild”. Lio needn’t more indications and turned back to the screen of the tablet before creating a playlist with the most cliche songs going from country to pop with a bunch of hispanics ones along the way.
When the big lights came back on, indicating that it was about to close, Luck earned the title of the best dancer of the group, somehow knowing how to dance every single choreography. All Lance, Sam and Meis blamed it on the fact that he was the only one straight and that straight people were good at this for some reasons which made him simply huff and called them bad losers.
As everyone was leaving and his friends were putting their coats back on and getting their phones from behind the bar, Meis rested his elbows on it and looked at Lio who secretly handed him another candy skewer.
“I’m so happy for you Meis, you look radiant with them.”
“You think ?”
“Yes. You found people who seem to be just like you.”
“You mean weird, in their own world and who aren’t afraid of makeup and nail polish ?”
"Yea pretty much.”
“I’m not as confident as they are though. I only got the courage to show off after meeting them.”
“I feel like it’s starting to change a bit.”
“What makes you say that ?”
“I know you.”
He was soon joined by Luks, Sam and Lance who waited by his side, still laughing and teasing each other.
Sam and Luks were searching through their pockets to find cash to give as a tip while Lance looked at him through those iconic purple lenses of his. It was somehow intimidating and Lio wasn't sure he liked that. “It was a pleasure to meet you Lio.”
“Same here.”
Luks hands Lio the cash and Lance wraps another arm around Meis. “Well, I’m stealing him again, enjoy your night !”
Meis barely got the time to wave at Lio that he was pulled by Lance out of the bar, followed by Sam and Luks who were laughing loudly but were still polite enough to close the door gently behind them, leaving Lio alone with Ignis who stretched and started wiping each table.
Despite the late hour, none of the four drunk men realized it was better to stay quiet on the streets as a consideration for all the sleeping people. Those poor people had to deal with loud laughter, the musicians holding each other by the arms, Sam holding Meis who was also holding Luks who was holding Lance as they tried to walk in sync.
A picture of Meis posing in front of a sex shop, a video of Luks and Lance spinning while holding each other by the arm and singing, another picture of Sam pretending to eat Meis’ hair, Lance pole dancing on a stop sign and each of them trying to record each other doing cartwheels and struggling to stand back up later, they (somehow) managed to head back to Meis’ place alive and all slept there, all fully aware that getting anywhere else in their state wasn’t a good idea.
The improvised sleepover had Meis and Sam laying in the guitarist's bed while Luks and Lance were laying on the floor, using the couch’s pillows for their heads and extra blankets Meis had in his room. It wasn’t ideal but they were all too drunk to care and ended up falling asleep less than fifteen minutes after laying down.
Yes they slept less than 4 hours before morning’s light invited itself in the room because Meis forgot to close the curtains, and yes, the hangover hit them hard in the face around the dining room’s table after he managed to gather the courage to leave the house to get pastries for everyone in a bakery near by. However, even with big headaches and sweaty skins that could really use a shower the moment they stepped inside their own places, none of the four boys wouldn’t trade all of those moments for anything in the world.