Lasting Lyric (22 page)

She stands in the middle of me and Harmony, breaking our
tween
party of two. Not that I have anything against Melody, but I just get the sense she is not a big fan of mine. Since Harmony and I have gotten really close, it’s like she’s afraid of me stealing her sister or something. But honestly, I could be imagining the whole thing, and getting insecure for no reason. I shake off the negative energy, and continue to smile.

Putting her arm around Harmony, she asks us, “How about some drinks? Beer? Tequila shots?”

“I’ll take a vodka martini, with two olives,” Harmony says.

“Lyric?”

I love my fruity drinks, and right now a sweet one would be perfect. “A Mango Margarita sounds really good right now. I’ll take one of those.”

Melody rolls her eyes, obviously not satisfied with my answer. “None of that foo foo shit, lady. Let me grab you something more stiff, to help you loosen up a bit.”

Loosen up
? Does she think I have a stick up my butt? I don’t get her at all. “I feel pretty relaxed at the moment, Melody. So, I’ll just stick with the margarita, thanks,” I respond, coolly, with a tight grin on my face, but inside is a whole different reaction.

“Your call then,” she shrugs. “One foo foo drink, and martini, coming right up.”

Once out of earshot, Harmony says, “Sorry about that. Mel can be a bit of a pest.”

“No worries.”

“Really…I know you don’t know her very well, but Melody has a big heart, it just takes time to warm up to her.”

“I’m sure I will.” I hope I will. When I first met Melody, it was at a BBQ gathering at Slim and Wayne’s house. We seemed to hit it off in the beginning, but things can change pretty quickly. “Slim and Wayne are best friends, so it would be kind of hard to avoid her - I mean…not that I have anything against Melody or anything. I figure since she and Slim live in the same house, we’ll be spending a lot of time together.” Good grief, if my tongue just didn’t tie up my words.
Ugh.

Harmony chuckles, “I know what you meant.”

“Okay, good,” I sigh. I don’t want anything coming between our new friendship, so I’m glad she didn’t take what I said the wrong way.

I really do hope, in time, Melody and I will have some sort of friendship. If not, things will surely be awkward when we have our social gatherings, or when we have to see one another at the house. I’ll do my best to get along with her, and put up a front for Slim’s sake.

By the time we are handed our drinks, June gets on stage, quieting everyone down so she can speak. She looks amazing up there in her slick, shiny leather pants, silver tube top and to die for heels. I don’t know how she can wear those heels, they’re extremely tall, but she is killing the look. She even has her hair colored in silver and pink to match the setting of the room. There is no one like her, and that’s why she rocks.

June takes the microphone from the stand and begins speaking. “Thank you all for coming to my bestie’s celebration!” Myself, and the rest of the guests clap; some whistle. “Are we having fun yet?” More clapping and screaming follows. “Faith and I have been through so much together. More highs than lows, thank goodness!” she exclaims, and laughs. “She has accomplished so much in her twenty-six years - which usually takes a lifetime to build. So, men…never,
never
underestimate the power of persistence, stamina, and brilliance in women!” June receives tons of positive hollers, along with more clapping. She holds out her hand, looking straight at Faith, who’s in the audience, and ends her speech with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. “You amaze me, my friend. Keep on living your dreams and rock on! Happy birthday!” After her speech, June jumps down from the stage, with the microphone, and hugs her best friend. You can see the love and support they have for one another. It’s so inspiring and awesome. Holding hands with Faith, June shouts into the microphone, “
JINKS,
you’re on!” causing an uproar from the guests. The fun has just begun.

The guys walk on stage, looking like the coolest band ever. They’re dressed so simple, yet so completely cool and sexy, they don’t have to do too much to look that way. They’re rockers, through and through. Once they pick up their instruments, they take their position. But the one that I can only really focus on is Slim. His lopsided smirk immediately weakens my knees, and dampens my panties.
That man.
He is unbelievably hot.

Instead of picking up his guitar right away, Lucky clears his throat before talking into the microphone. He seems nervous up there. I hope everything is okay with him. “Before uh…before the band and I start, I want to wish my gorgeous Faith, a happy birthday,” he says in a low tone, which cause the women to “oooh and awww.” He combs a hand through his hair, clearing his throat again. “I need you up here, babe,” he nervously laughs. Maybe he’s going to sing her a song, directly on stage? Harmony and I look at each other and both shrug. She’s just as curious as to what’s going on. Faith gracefully takes the stage with confidence, and a slight hint of puzzlement on her face. She lights up the entire room with her beauty; her black hair with streams of purple, wave in and out, flowing down her back like raw silk. It’s gorgeous.
I so love her hair
. To match her ocean colored eyes, she dazzles the room wearing a dress that is all sequined, long sleeved, deep scoop neckline, and backless back, landing a couple inches above her knees. It’s breathtaking. Lucky grabs one of Faith’s hands and squeezes it like his life depends on them. “We’ve beat the odds, you and I, haven’t we?” he smiles. Faith smiles back, and nods her head. “Too many years, I never thought we’d be here. If it weren’t for you…my dream as a musician would never have happened.”

“That is so not true,” Faith chokes up, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks. This is such an intimate moment, it’s almost like watching a scene from a movie. The guests are as quiet as mice, you could probably hear a pin drop.

“Yes it is,” Lucky says. “You’ve always been behind me, even when we lost one another. My life was completed the day we reunited.” He releases her hand, then slips his fingers into his front shirt pocket. What comes out is unexpected. In his right hand is a small black box. Faith, along with the rest of the room, gasps. She covers her mouth, realizing what Lucky is about to do. I am literally holding my breath, this has to be the most beautiful scene I have ever witnessed. “You’re my soul mate, my right hand, my heart. You’re everything to me. I love you, babe.” Like any prince charming would do, Lucky gets down on one knee, opens that black box, and asks, “Will you…will you do me the honor of…becoming my wife? Marry me, Faith.” By now Faith is sobbing. She is speechless, and nods her head answering yes. Yes, she will marry him!
Holy moly.

The room explodes with cheering, whistling, and many tears of joy from the guests. Lucky places the ring on Faith’s finger, then kisses the heck out of his newly fiance’, while the rest of us stand in awe. With tears running down my face, I must look like a blubbering mess. I can’t help it though. What a beautiful moment this was. Harmony is crying like a baby too, laughing through her tears. Wiping away the wetness from my cheeks, I look up at Slim. He’s staring right at me with a glazed look in his eyes. He’s just as emotional as I am. Once the shock of Lucky’s proposal is over, Helene and Gary run up to him and Faith, hugging them and congratulating them on their engagement. Next comes June and Phillip; they do the same. Everybody is happy, excited and ready to celebrate.

Before we know it,
JINKS
begins playing. But without fail, I am approached by a big security guy. Something is terribly wrong, I can feel it. “Miss Newton, we have a woman by the name of Violet Ray, detained in the back office, asking for you.”

My jaw drops, along with my stomach. In shock, I shout above the music, “What? Can’t you get rid of her or something?”

Setting me off even more, the big security beast bends his face closer to my ear, “Ma’am, if you’ll just come with me, please.”

“You can’t be serious,” I huff. By this time Harmony is closer to the stage, gathered around the other guests, dancing to
JINKS
’ song. I’ve waited all day to see my guy shine up on that stage, it makes me mad I have to ditch the performance for this crap. “Give me a second.” Leaving the big guy behind me, I walk toward June and Phillip. He’s got his wide set arms wrapped around her tiny body, swaying back and forth. They are super cute together. The second June sees the look on my face she leaves Phillip, and comes straight for me. “June…Violet Ray is here. Security has her detained in their back office.”

“Holy shit!” she gasps.

“She won’t leave, so I have to go back there.”

Placing her hands on her hips, she says, “I’m coming with you,” and begins stomping off.

No matter how badly I want June to help me, this is all on me. I’m the one who needs to deal with this. Before she gets any further, I clasp a hand on her shoulder to make her stop. “Wait! No, don’t. Stay here, enjoy the party. I know you want to help, but for some odd reason she wants to see me. Just let Slim know I had to step out for a bit. Can you do that for me?”

Her brows furrow in frustration, yet I know she understands. “Yes, of course, but if you have any problems, you get me, pronto, and call the fucking cops!”

“Don’t worry, I plan on it.”

The security guard leads me to their detaining room. The closer I get to the room, the louder I can overhear Violet’s voice. She’s cursing, and sounds out of control.
What am I getting myself into
?
Before I enter, I take a deep breath. Who knows what’s going to happen? I can only pray I can get her to leave, and this whole thing can be forgotten and put behind me.

The moment I open the door, I am taken aback. This is the first time I have seen her in person, and let me tell you…Violet Ray is a hot mess. From the top of her long dried out, over bleached blonde hair with nappy dark roots, down to her
Pamela Anderson
fake boobs and stoned washed jeans, she looks like an older version of
Courtney Love,
when Courtney was young back in the 90’s. Her makeup is heavily applied and so not attractive. Actually, her whole demeanor is unattractive. It’s very unsettling to say the least.

When Violet sees me, she yells out, “It’s about damn time!” One of the guards has his hand grasped around her scrawny bicep. “Get your hands off me, you mutt!” She whips herself from his grasp, wiping the hair away from her face.

The snarled look on her face only causes the guard to stand his ground. He doesn’t move from his position. “It’s okay. You can leave,” I tell him.

“Ma’am -”

I know it’s his job to protect me, but for some reason, I need to be left alone with this woman. “I’ll let you know if I need you.” He tells me he’ll be right outside. I nod, then wait until the door is fully closed before I start to talk.

“Finally!” Violet huffs. She settles herself down on a metal chair, and rests her arms on the table in front.

I don’t follow suit. Instead, I place my hands on the table, lean my body toward the horrid looking woman before me, and give her a piece of my mind. “Listen here, Violet…this needs to stop, today. Now!” slamming my hand down on the table. Pointing my finger in her direction, I continue, “I’ve had enough of your messages and threats. You…disrupting my personal life, and showing up unannounced. You have crossed a serious line, here. I should have you thrown in jail. Do you hear me?” Not even a flinch from this woman, nor a care.
What the heck
! I am so livid right now, I feel I have just run a marathon; my heart is racing and I’m out of breath.

Violet stares at me like I’m the crazy one. She pulls out a pack of cigarettes, puts one in her mouth, lights it, then blows out a big puff of smoke. “Are you finished,” she hoarsely asks.

I blink. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know -”

“I know exactly who you are, darlin’,” she points her cig in my direction. “Now it’s my turn to tell you who I am.”

Okay, what
?

WE DID A FEW SONGS
before I realized Lyric was gone, nowhere to be found. June explained to me that something came up and Lyric had to leave for awhile. But she had yet to return. I was real happy for Lucky and Faith on their engagement, and wanted to stick around to celebrate with them, but I had to find Lyric. Something was wrong, I could feel it. After texting her a few times, she finally got back to me, telling me she was in a conference room on the second floor. What the hell was she doing in there?