Blue Sky by D. Bryant Simmons

Author:D. Bryant Simmons [Simmons, D. Bryant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Family Life, Coming of Age, Women's Fiction
ISBN: 9780985751647
Publisher: Bravebird Publishing via Indie Author Project
Published: 2016-03-24T05:00:00+00:00

Jesse’s garage was still groove central for us. We practiced there when the club wasn’t available. And after sweating it out for six songs, the brisk air had turned steamy, and my hair had no tolerance for steamy goddamn air.

“Come on, baby girl. You can’t change the lineup at the drop of a hat.” Jesse hated surprises. He was as persuasive as I was and used to getting his way when it came to the nuts and bolts of our performances. But I wasn’t in a compromising mindset.

“I’m singing, right? Well, I don’t wanna keep singing the same old songs every night. When you decide you wanna be the lead singer, then you can sing whatever you want.”

“Now, hold on. Let’s calm down.” Clark held up both hands, shifting his weight from one butt cheek to the other on the tiny stool behind his drum set.

“Hey, little girl. You don’t own this band!”

“Fine! Then you don’t need me, right? You can do it on your own? Let me see you get up on stage and shake your ass and keep folks comin’ back for more!”

Clark rose to his full height and gently tried to guide our smaller bandmate to a different corner, pleading silently with Kem to do the same for me.

“Mami—”

“I’m fine!” I paced from the corner of the garage that held Jesse’s tools to where his lawnmower sat doused in spider webs. “He’s the one that treats me like I belong to him! Like I’m only around to take orders! I don’t get to have an opinion! I’m not a real musician like the rest of y’all!”

“He didn’t say that.”

“What about our song? Don’t you wanna sing it?”

At the other end of the garage, I thought I caught one word. Diva. Jesse was trying to convince Clark he’d been right all along. Adding a girl to the group was trouble.

“Fine. I quit.”

I didn’t have to scream to be heard that time.

“You don’t mean that.” Kem looked so pained, I felt a flash of guilt, but another second and I was right back to being pissed.

“Just wait.” He grabbed my arm as I leaned over to collect my things. “Let me talk to him.”

The tears had already began to fall. It was too late. My heart would never feel the same. It’d been broken too many times to heal itself so easily.

As soon as Kem turned, I slapped the garage door opener and slipped out. I was halfway down the alley before he caught up to me. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, so he insisted on driving me home. He believed that given some time to cool off everything could go back to normal. I knew better.

“I’m going to college anyway. I won’t have time to sing.”

His car rolled to a stop at a yellow light, and he stared at me befuddled. “Music is who you are. I don’t believe you can walk away so easily.”

“I have college.”

“You never mentioned it.”

I hadn’t given it much thought since I got the acceptance letter in the mail a few months back, but Mama had.

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