Wheels of Steel, Book 1 (37 page)

“You know what we should do!” Link said excitedly. “We should start off with that opening! The one when he’s chanting ‘It’s working!’”

“Oh my god that would be so SICK!” Patty exclaimed. The opening they were referring to was of the two DJ’s in the movie who were playing a house party in which they used some of the most classic rap beats of the 80’s.

Jason was all grins. “Oh son! You’re right! We gotta do it.” The two hurried to the studio. “Are we going to use LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT?” Jason asked.

“We got to! Afrika Bambaataa! Nothing’s better than that.”

“They ain’t going to have any idea what we’re doing.”

“Doesn’t matter! We know what we’re doing and that opening is classic! We gotta do it.”

“Yeah.” Jason agreed enthusiastically. “So I do the beat and you do the scratch?”

“Yep, that’s it, Son. Ready?” Jason winked. Link didn’t have a mic but he yelled out the words of the movie until he practically screamed; NOW HERE’S A FUNKY BEAT…” And that’s when Jason did his magic, making a funky beat. “AND HERE’S A SCRATCH BEAT…”Link began scratching something new but completely funky and then they put it together. Link began mixing in LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT BY AFRIKA BAMBATAA and then they started free styling. Patty was jumping up and down and break dancing; which she was pretty good at. Amberly had her cell phone out and was recording their antics. Jason thought they should be selling tickets to this performance, never mind the Omicron party later!

Robin was getting out of her car and could hear the beat thumping from Jason’s apartment all the way to the parking lot; as could other people that were walking about. Several younger guys were even out dancing! She couldn’t believe it. One guy stopped her as she headed to Jason’s door.

“Hey! You know that guy that lives there?” She nodded

“Oh dude, he should open his door so that we can listen to their jam session!” Several other people agreed.

“Well, he’s playing at the Omicron house tonight. I’m sure they won’t care if you go since their charging.” She gave them the information and they promised to show up.

Robin knocked on the door. Patty answered, smiling. “Hey!” She greeted Robin happily. “You don’t have a key yet?!” She turned back into the room. “Hey Slacker! Get your girlfriend a key!” Jason took off his headphones and wheeled over to Robin; he stared at her opened mouth but it was Link that spoke.

“Day-um…” Robin stood there inside of the door shyly. Jason reached for his crutches absently. He pulled himself up to a standing position. She looked awesome in all black. He remembered what they had done earlier as he glanced at her exposed cleavage.

“Damn is right.” He said. He gave her a kiss and she returned it timidly. “You look great, Sweetheart.”

“Hi Sweetheart!” Link yelled.

“Yeah,” Patty chimed in from where she had sat down on the couch. “Seems you have the only nickname that’s not insulting.”

Amberly turned off her video and placed her cell phone into her purse. “I officially want to change nicknames. I don’t feel that Tramp Stamp accurately portrays me.”

“Too late.” Link piped up. “Wheels of Steel is officially no more.”

Robin gave Jason a curious look. Wheels of Steel was no more…What? He just shrugged. “We decided to ‘unofficially’ disband. But it’s a secret.”

“We’re not going to make any new music as a group. We’re just going to do our own thing.” Link added.

“Oh ok…I hate to hear that. You guys were really good.”

Amberly eyed her. “Did you like the videos?”

“Yes. I thought they were great!” Robin replied. She was still standing in the middle of the room as if she needed an invitation to enter so she quickly sat down in the arm chair.

“Patty and I did the videos.”

“They were really good. Oh, some guys were outside wanting to hear you all jam. So I told them about the party tonight-”

“It’s only for college students.” Amberly said. “So I hope they don’t show up; because without a college I.D. they’ll be turned away at the door.”

Oh shit…those guys will probably be pissed, too. And she didn’t have a college i.d. She hoped they wouldn’t give her any problems entering.

“Come on let’s finish jamming.” Jason wheeled back to the computer.

“Oh Sweetheart!” Patty said. “You should have heard the shit they just laid down! Do you know the movie Beat Street?”

Robin shook her head.

“Oh…wow…Jason, you’re going to have to school your girl.” Link said playfully. “Check out the TV. Beat Street is THE most important event to occur in hip hop culture. A film shot from the perspective of the people that revolutionized…no, that CREATED hip hop. Without this movie white kids like me would still be playing John Denver!”

“So you’re saying that Beat Street started a nation of Wiggers?” Amberly asked.

“No. But it took it from Brooklyn and the Bronx and brought it to…people in the Midwest; to the farmland.”

“Boy!” Patty said dismissively. “You ain’t never been on a farm in your life!” Robin looked at the movie that was playing on television. It looked like an 80’s B movie but there was some good beats in it.

Jason started a beat going and like a well oiled machine Link joined in with the scratching. Robin began to relax a little in her chair as she watched him from across the room. Amberly went into the kitchen and returned with bottled water. She handed one to Robin who thanked her politely and then passed one each to her friends, placing Links and Jason’s on the table that the computer sat on. She stared at what Jason was doing.

“Oooo…let me try Top.”

He looked up at her. “You want to?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, come on.” Amberly bounced on her tiptoes happily and then sat on Jason’s lap. She mimicked what she’d seen him doing, pressing the buttons in the same sequence that he had and she created a very nice beat. Link followed her every move with a responsive scratch sound. Amberly laughed happily.

Robin felt a little tense. She came over to join them and watched Amberly bouncing up and down on her boyfriends lap. She couldn’t lie that she didn’t like it. But she’d seen it before and figured it was ‘acceptable’ in their circle.

Amberly flubbed a little but even so, it still sounded good. Jason guided her to the correct buttons to press and gave her encouraging squeezes when she did good. Patty was mimicking some break dancers from the movie. Wow…she was more than good. Robin wished that she could be as comfortable as they were. Why did things always come so much harder for her?

“Come over here, Sweetheart. I’m going to show you how to scratch.”

“Oh…I don’t know…I don’t think I can-” But there was a part of her that wanted to be like Amberly, to not be afraid, to be comfortable.

“Yeah. It’s easy. Come here.” She went over to him and stood awkwardly watching him scratch. “Now do this.” He did a simple scratch.

“Okay.” She reached for the controls. “Sit here.” He patted his lap. Her face felt hot but she did as he asked. Then she reached for the controls again. She had seen Jason making beats before but had not seen him scratching with controls. But she did exactly what Link did and when it sounded over the speakers she grinned proudly.

Link clapped. “That’s it! Good job, Sweetheart!”

He let her freestyle and she and Amberly were playing together! It wouldn’t be a hit on YouTube or anything but it was all hers. She looked over at Jason in excitement. He smiled at her but as soon as her attention turned back to the studio he glared at Link. He couldn’t stop thinking about Link’s dick being separated from Robin by just a few layers of cloth.

His teeth clenched. “Okay, Amberly. Good job.” He urged her off his lap. “We need to get practicing.” Link glanced at him. “Pshawww, son. We don’t need to overkill on the practice. Hey, me and Sweetheart battle you.”

Link placed his hands over hers and together they began scratching. “Keep doing that.” Then he moved his hands and began spinning his vinyl. Robin understood what she needed to do to compliment his scratches with hers.

“Damn.” Patty said. They didn’t sound bad. Amberly watched quietly. Jason just seemed to pout more. Almost angrily he threw out a beat and the three of them played together for a few minutes. It was good, very good in fact.

By the time Robin had removed herself from Link’s lap Jason was almost redfaced. He couldn’t even think straight! All he could see was Robin’s nude body from earlier and Link with his over used dick only inches from her. He knew he was wrong for wanting to smash his fist into Link’s face but why was his hand’s so comfortably on her hips?! And if he was fucking Patty then why wasn’t SHE sitting on his lap?!

Robin made to walk past but Jason’s hand snaked out quickly and gripped her wrist. “Come here, Sweetheart. Sit with me.” She did and put her arm around his shoulder and snuggled with him while Link and Patty went awww and made smoochie noises even though they weren’t kissing. Amberly just stood there quietly with a look of misery on her face.

Chapter 29

They crowded into the van a while later. Robin wanted to take her own car but Jason insisted that they all ride together. He reached out and held her hand and felt that it was moist. He peeked at her and small beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she smiled.

When they got to Omicron house, Patty helped some of the frat brothers to unload the van so Robin pitched in too. It helped her to feel good to be doing something when she walked into the crowded house. Dance music was coming loudly from the opened door and people were milling around the yard. Once inside she understood why; it was hot, smoky and crowded! Someone brushed against her and she almost dropped the heavy crate of albums that she was holding. Why she had grabbed this instead of a speaker, she wasn’t sure. The guys got busy getting the equipment set up and Patty grabbed her wrist.

“Let’s get a drink.” She glanced over to Jason but he was preoccupied with running wires, so she followed Patty to the open bar. Several people were already shouting WHEELS OF STEEL even though none of their music was playing.

“What do you want to drink?” Patty yelled over the loud music. Robin’s eyes scanned the bar seeing bottles of liquor, not knowing the difference from one to the other since she wasn’t a drinker.

“What are you drinking?”

“Hennessey.”

“Oh. I’ll just have a beer.” Patty passed her a can of beer from a cooler. Robin thanked her and looked around.

“So…this is a college party.”

“Your first?”

“Yes.”

Robin cracked open the beer and took a small drink. She wasn’t a beer drinker but the cool liquid felt good going down her dry throat. She took a larger swallow.

“Jason’s a real good guy.” Patty said while bouncing slightly to the techno house beat that was currently playing.

Robin nodded quickly. “He is.” She smiled shyly. “He’s a real good guy.”

“Sometimes he comes off a little rough.” Patty said. “But that’s only because he’s been hurt bad.”

Robin frowned. “How do you know Jason?”

“I met him through Amberly. We share classes and since he hung with her and I hung with her…we sorta just hung together. And we all liked music; hip hop so we gravitated together.

“Cool.”

A black guy came up to her. “Want to dance, beautiful?”

She shook her head quickly. “No thanks.” She looked down at her beer.

“Aww come on.” He took hold of her wrist and she gave him a surprised look.

“No. Really…I don’t want to dance.”

The guy flashed her a bright smile. “Why don’t you give me your number-?”

“Fucker. Leave.” Patty said calmly. The guy, who plainly had too much to drink, gave her a dismissive look.

“Not talking to you dyke.” Robin just turned and walked away. She heard some noise behind her; something like a smack or a crack and then something heavy hitting the floor. But she just kept walking until she was back in the room where Jason and Link were setting up the equipment. She held her beer in both hands tightly, almost strangling the can. Jason glanced up and met her eyes, giving her a wink. Her heartbeat stopped racing and she smiled back.

Patty joined her a few moments later with a fresh drink. Robin gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not good in crowds.”