Earthy Muse
an excerpt

Chapter One

Ms. Amethyst O’Brien glanced at the mosaic clock as she wandered downstairs. It was Friday afternoon, 2:30pm and the owner of the Earthy Muse Coffee House was getting ready to open her doors and start a new day. She and her husband Jack had bought the older 1920’s Bungalow 20 years earlier in Venice Beach and had worked together to turn the outdated, tiny little cottage into the legendary Earthy Muse. Deciding it was time to take leave of her rock-n-roll lifestyle, first as a groupie and later in her career, she found the coffee house to be the perfect fit.

Amethyst had been involved in the music scene since she witnessed first hand and experienced rock-n-roll legends in the making at the incredible Monterey Pop International Music Festival in 1967. Sitting there with her hippie Aunt Rose, the spirit of the festival took hold of her completely and she came to the realization that this was what she was meant to do in her life. Not as a performer but in some other aspect. Her real name was Shannon Fleming, but soon enough, she was only known as Amethyst, nicknamed for the unique color of her eyes by one of her many rock-n-roll loves. Though she did have a few seedy run-ins with a couple unworthy rockers, most of her experiences had been beautiful and glamorous. She was not the typical groupie, not even close. She was a Rock Muse, inspiring some of the most poetic of songs from the legendary rockers of her generation. Her relationship with music and the men who made it had always been much more than that.

In the Lounge, Miss Amethyst was adding the new flavors she just received for her Hookah patrons, the last strands of one of her favorite Zeppelin songs, Tangerine, playing in the background, when she heard the familiar tinkling of the bell at her door. She walked out of the lounge to find out who was there. It was always a kick to see the reactions from the people entering her domain and today was no exception. A young surfer probably no older than 17 and his cute-as-a-button surfer girlfriend were standing there in t-shirts, cutoff jeans, puka shells and Vans, looking at all the Rock Memorabilia lining her walls in awe.

There were signed electric and acoustic guitars from the immortals, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani. Pictures of herself with the rock stars whose lives she touched in the time she had known them were lining her walls. There were drummers, guitarists, bass players, singers, keyboardists, pianists, it didn’t matter what instrument they played. All of them were special in their own way and had touched her in a way that only true artists could.

Hanging from the ceiling were posters from Monterey Pop and Woodstock, the two most history-making rock music festivals ever created along with posters from the more recent Lilith Fairs, Lollapaloozas and Bumbershoots. Found inside of shadow boxes were drum sticks from some of her faves: John Bonham, John Densmore, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr along with different articles of clothing she had received as a token of affection from certain singers after memorable nights of music and enchantment.
Letters written of pure poetry, enough to make any woman hunger for more, eager to be one with the musicians of their hearts and minds completed the shadow boxes, a memory to the times of pure unadulterated love for the craft and beauty of music. Completing the inside of this mini museum inside 1000 square feet of coffee house/hookah lounge, was the vinyl and slipcovers of some of her favorite albums signed with a little note from her most beloved of artists.

“Can I help you with something?”

The young guy turned to look at her as his girlfriend turned away, probably in disgust or jealousy. She couldn’t really tell. Amethyst saw herself in the mirrors lining the bottom half of her walls the way he probably saw her. Middle-aged but strikingly beautiful woman with long, wavy, free flowing, raven colored hair, and a luxurious sapphire colored silk scarf intertwined within her curls. Perfectly beaded amethyst, turquoise, crystal and sapphire earrings were hanging from her ears, the sunlight hitting her skin just right giving the illusion of being incandescent. Multiple beaded necklaces hung from her neck, a golden snake-like bracelet lining her left arm and a dainty gold chain at her right ankle, lovingly showing off her beautiful crystal and gold sandals and the fresh pedicure she’d gotten this morning. She was dressed in one of her signature flowing gypsy skirts, iridescent purple silky chiffon blouses and black, satiny spaghetti strapped tank tops.

“Again, can I help you with something?” The teen shook is head to clear his mind.

“Oh yes. I apologize. Are these all pictures of you with who I think they are?”

“Well yes, as a matter of fact, they are.”

“Wow, amazing! I’m actually up close and personal with a real life Groupie!”

She laughed while his girlfriend made a disgusted snort and raised her eyes heavenward sarcastically.

“I prefer Rock Muse, but Groupie’s okay too.”

She turned her attention to the girlfriend.

“Doll, don’t judge until you know the whole story. It’s not what you think.”

“Oh…it’s not like…I don’t know…whatever…” her voice trailed off.

“Maybe next time you’ll think twice before deciding what someone is rather than finding out who they really are.”

She turned back to the boy.

“Now, what can I do for you honey?”

“Um, well I’d like….”

“Come on Jason, let’s go. We have a party to get to.”

“Oh, alright. I’m sorry, I’ve gotta get going.”

“No problem baby. Come back anytime.”

The boy was staring intently at Amethyst as his girlfriend grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the coffee house. She knew he’d be back. They always came back. She could smell them a mile away. The young guys who were going to be the musicians of tomorrow always did, with their guitars on their backs and usually the same night they met her. Those in the know heard about the Earthy Muse from others who knew. It was the place to go if you were a budding lyricist and musician.

Not everyone could enter the hallowed walls of this establishment. You had to be a clean musician or band to play and the A/R reps, music journalists and producers all knew this. No drug dealers, no drugs period were allowed in. If you were high or acting up, you got booted out of the joint, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Amethyst and her husband Jack worked hard at this. They only hired the best bouncers to keep an eye on the door, many whom were plain-clothes police officers working after hours making a few bucks to supplement their incomes. They were paid very well for this. The owners didn’t mind paying the price. It was worth it. Too many of Amethyst’s old flames and friends had died because of drugs and it was too heartbreaking for her. When she met Jack again after all those years and told him about her insane, somewhat jaded past, he loved her even more for it.

Oh Jack. How she loved him. With each passing year her love for him blossomed into something more than she thought was possible. They first met at Monterey Pop where they spent three unforgettable days and nights together getting to know each other, talking about their very different lives, enjoying history in the making, becoming kindred spirits with each other and the populace, just grooving together. He had just graduated from high school and was getting ready to start his freshman year at UC Berkley. He came from Back East but had decided he wanted to attend college on the West Coast and UC Berkley was the school he felt he could most fit in at. He was going to make a difference in the world we were living in. He didn’t know yet how, but he was gonna do it. She on the other hand had just finished her freshman year of high school, back home in San Diego. She was just out here visiting her Aunt Rose for a few weeks and would be going home soon. He was 18 and she was only 15. They both knew nothing could happen between them right now. He visited her a few times before she left to go back home and that was it. She remembered how he looked that last day before she left. A beautiful young man with emerald green eyes, his light brown hair, a bit longish, the sunlight shining on him. He was so good, determined and optimistic about the future. He was also Irish Catholic just like her. Jack O’Brien was his name. If only she were older. Her parents would have loved him. Such a nice young man, her mother would have said. A hard worker, her dad would have told her. Aunt Rose honked her horn.

“Come on Shannon. We have to get you to the airport before your flight takes off doll face.”

“Alright Aunt Rose. Just give me one more second please?”

She turned back to him and Jack leaned in and kissed her! It was her first real kiss from a boy ever. His lips were so soft too. She couldn’t have asked for a more special kiss. He turned his lips to her ear and spoke to her.

“One day Shannon Fleming, if you and I aren’t with someone else, you will be mine forever and ever.”

She was too shocked and flabbergasted to answer him. All she could do was watch him as she walked to the car, her face bright red, body hot all over. Wow. So that’s what it’s like…Groovy.

“Hi Mom.”

Amethyst was startled back to reality when she heard her daughter’s musical voice coming from upstairs heading down. Sapphire was 17 and had the same dark hair and fair skin as her mom but her eyes were the color of emeralds just like her dad. Her clothing taste was much more subdued but still hip in low-rider boot cut jeans, urban black boots or delicate heeled sandals depending on her mood. Today, she was wearing her uniform of jeans, boots and black tank, a dozen bangles sliding up and down both arms and big silver hoops, her hair pulled up in a messy bun, dark tendrils hanging down either side of her face. She added a colorful touch to her ensemble with the multicolored satin scarf she got from Italy last summer, looped through her jeans as a belt, the ends hanging down in a loose knot. She was as gorgeous as ever, a testament to her mom and dad. Her own person, Sapphire never ran around with the cliques at school and her friends, all good kids, wanted to do something to make the world a better place to live in.

From her mother, she had learned the value of music and art in your life and the importance it had in the formation of one’s character. From her dad, came an almost rabid need to help others less fortunate than herself and the urge to learn as much as she possibly could about the world around her. She would read the world news and her dad would ask her opinion on what was going on in the world. There was always lively discussion between her parents and herself on everything from pop culture to the war in Iraq to the state of the environment. Being the only child of two very colorful people made her own opinion of herself healthy and unafraid of confrontation. She had beauty both inside and out and brains to match making her a target for some of the more jealous girls in her school and a scary concept for most of the boys. Being a leader was her forte and made her the perfect candidate for student council, the school newspaper and debate team. It was the last day of Spring Break but instead of going on some shopping spree in New York City like some of the girls in her class, she had decided to stay right here with her mom and dad, helping them at the coffee house. Dad was a professor at UCLA during the school year but helped mom the rest of the time. The family was going to Europe for a few weeks during the summer anyway so she was more than content just hanging out in good old Venice, the beach a short walk away. Right now though, she had to get to work at the coffee bar making it ready for steaming cups of hot coffee, espresso shots and lattes.

“Hi my sweet baby. You ready to start?”

“Gimme one sec mom. Let me get the steam working on the frother. Okay, it’s good to go.”

“What do you want to hear?”

She loved this part of the day. Usually her mom would let her pick out the music they were going to listen to. It was her way of seeing what kind of music her daughter was interested in at the moment. Not that mom had any problems in that department herself. 30 years working in the music industry made sure of it. Sapphire was proud of her mom’s many accomplishments. She knew mom had once been a groupie and thought it was pretty cool. Not many kids could say they knew Bob Dylan or James Taylor or even had Joni Mitchell and Carole King in their living room drinking a glass of wine and smoking hookah with their mom. She had also been vocal during the women’s rights movement of the ’70s. Mom waited a long time before marrying dad but said she’d had bigger fish to fry out in the workplace rather than in the kitchen.

“I’m feeling a little Dave Matthews Band right now mom.”

“Excellent choice Doll. Let’s do some Dave Matthews, beautiful man that he is.”

The next moment American Baby was on and Sapphire had to laugh. Her mom was such a kick, very cool and focused on one hand, crazy and goofy on the other. She loved her so much for it. She couldn’t imagine any other girl having a mom as cool as hers. There wasn’t a better dad for that matter. Every kid should have crazy hippies or activists for parents. They just view life differently than everyone else.

At that moment, Jack O’Brien came in and kissed his two favorite girls. He’d been outside, a steaming mug of coffee and a croissant at his favorite bistro table reading the newspaper and talking to the neighbors as they passed by about the latest news on the War in Iraq. Even though many of them were Conservative Republicans, they knew he was a radical Liberal which made for very entertaining conversation. He definitely knew what he was talking about, as did they. Some would stop and chat for a while or get into a heated but good-natured debate on politics. Others just came by to wish him a good day and inquire about his family. Always polite and jovial, Jack was popular amongst the neighbors. Many who had known him in the twenty years he’d lived in the neighborhood as their kids’ political science college professor.

“Good morning my Irish beauties. How’s everything going so far this morning?”

“It’s going great dad. What’s the latest news from the neighbors?”

“Oh, well let me tell you what I heard….”

Amethyst turned her face away to hide her smirk. Whenever Jack began talking to Sapphire in the conciliatory tone of voice he got she had to giggle. He was the cutest thing whenever he heard some really great gossip that he wanted to share with them. He was more gossipy than some women she knew, including herself. Then again, she had learned a long time ago how to keep the really juicy stuff quiet. As a groupie, you knew not to talk about certain things especially when it came to celebrities. There were just some things you had to keep confidential. Anything could be taken the wrong way by the newsies. It served her purpose very well once she actually started working in the music industry.

You’ve gotta know when to keep a secret and when to tell the world. Give them a little something to keep them coming back for more. Dangle the proverbial carrot in front of them. It was the name of the game. You could be a rock star and get all the fabulous benefits of being in the spotlight, but it came at a price. Some people were able to get through it with barely a scratch on them, while some were completely destroyed, their heart and soul trampled, a shell of their former glorious self. No matter how creative and fulfilling it was, the music industry was still a business, run by people in it for the dough. Maybe not at first, but once the money started pouring in, the greed took over for many and all their idealistic good intentions were replaced by the evil of the materialistic world.

It was heartbreaking for one who was so in love with the beauty and art of music. Musicians were some of the most passionate, sensitive people walking this planet. Putting themselves out there for people to judge, they were more vulnerable than most, easily taken advantage of by others. They were also some of the most courageous people she knew, leaders in their own right, willing to take a huge risk by letting the masses know exactly how they felt about the state of the union and the world, opening up their psyches to insult and adoration. They had a voracious need to be loved by others while still maintaining their elusive facade. It was a beautiful sight to behold and kept Amethyst coming back for more.

Of course, after awhile, Amethyst noticed the naïveté and excitement of these bigger than life troubadours went away and was replaced by a fear of losing all they’d gained and an arrogance and selfishness that only artists who’d been in the spotlight and had everything thrown at them could have. It became tiresome and mundane for some and the spark that once lit up their eyes began to dim turning into the eyes of a cynic, critical of everyone and everything around them. The beauty that once lifted them up, high above the clouds was no more. Life became drudgery. Yes, hard to believe but true. It was a damn shame but that was the way it was sometimes. Still, you had to keep holding on to the ideals of what music was really all about. Bringing light and pleasure into a sometimes dark and difficult place to be. At least, that was her philosophy.

Pulling out the daily entertainment board, Amethyst wrote down the names of the musicians she booked for the evening. She had one band and five singer/songwriters playing their acoustic guitars coming in tonight. All still relatively unknown but trying their hardest to change that. On any given weekend, there were at least three A&R guys in the audience, one independent record label producer and about five agents searching for the next big thing. There were also the young music journalists, starting out in their careers, some who produced ’zines hoping that one of the bigger music magazine editors such as Rolling Stone would take notice of their hip voices, knowledge of the local music scene and trend-setting personalities.

Every once in awhile one of her old friends would stop by to play a few songs, telling the story of how the song came to be, to the surprise and delight of the attentive audience. It was such a gas and Amethyst wouldn’t change a thing. Not only was her coffee house successful, but she had earned and still had the respect and admiration of the movers and shakers in the business, getting a small percentage of the profits the A&R reps received each time they successfully signed a new artist or band through her establishment. She wasn’t anywhere near as wealthy as some of them but she could afford the lifestyle she enjoyed, taking trips abroad with her family or friends, primping and pampering herself and her family the way they deserved to be. She lived a great life but could still remember the days when it wasn’t always so easy.

She looked up from cleaning one of the inside booths for her VIP guests when Jack’s cell phone rang. He looked at the number on the phone with a slight frown but once he answered it, recognition took its place then disbelief and excitement. She gazed at him questioningly but he just motioned to her he was going to take the call outside. She went back to wiping down the tables and booths as Sapphire grabbed a broom and began sweeping the floor of the tiny stage used for the talent. All right Jack, this better be good. Ten minutes later he came back in completely stunned but happy.

“Well, lay it on me Daddy. Who was that?”

“Oh baby, I’m jazzed! That was my old buddy from the day. We were hippies together. Fighting for peace, man in Berkley. I led the pickets on campus and he did it off campus. We grew up in Boston together but his parents couldn’t afford the bill at Berkley so we shared a pad in town. It was so bitchin’ man. Two hep cats livin’our lives to the fullest. What a fucking blast!”

“Whoa, dad. Did I just enter a time warp? Who are you?”

Amethyst had to laugh. She completely understood everything he just told her. Sapphire on the other hand was not used to her dad speaking like the internal hippie that he was.

“Oh, sorry honey. I can’t help it. I talk to Doug for five minutes after all these years and I’m back in ’69. Unbelievable.”

“Crazy, man.”

Jack and Amethyst shared a moment of nostalgia as Sapphire shook her head in amazement. Okay, it was times like these when she realized how lame her folks could really be. Oh well.

“Anyway, he’s in town this weekend and wanted to come by to catch up on old times and meet you guys. I gave him instructions on how to get here. He’ll be stopping by tonight.”

“That sounds great Jack. I can’t wait to meet him.”

They finished getting ready for the evening ahead. Each in his or her own world wondering what the night might hold.

Chapter Two

Friday evening was hopping as usual. Sapphire’s best friend Zena was hired by Jack and Amethyst to work the coffee bar with Sapphire at the beginning of the school year so she was manning the cash register as Sapphire worked her magic at the bar itself. The music was kickin’ with the band having already performed their playlist of songs and talking with one of the agents about the music. It was a full house with people in the hookah lounge chilling out enjoying the new flavors while others were either sitting inside at the tables or outside talking and laughing with friends enjoying the canal views. The cafe was overpowered by the aromatic scent of espresso and coffee beans, votive candles on each table putting out the ambiance it was intended to produce. Shadows lined the walls, some people standing around looking at all the music memorabilia while tapping their feet to the sounds coming from the stage. The singer onstage had performed here a few times before and was enjoying every minute of the packed house hoping she would get the opportunity she’d been working towards from the music people in attendance.

Jack was out front shooting the shit with some of the bouncers as he always did while Amethyst worked the crowd. She was delivering steaming mugs of coffee and lattes to her many customers, chatting with the regulars and the new customers, making new contacts, enchanting everyone with her many interesting stories about the music industry and the artists she had loved. Sapphire kept her eye on her mom and the front door while Zena told her about the latest with her boyfriend Sean.

“So now he’s telling me he needs a break. I’m like, whatever dude. I don’t need you anyway I told him while inside I was just dying. I went home and balled my eyes out. I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”

“You’re going to do what anybody does in that situation Zena. Deal with it. It’s not the end of the world. He’s an asshole anyway. If he doesn’t realize how awesome you are then he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve you. Besides, he’s just a high school boy. All they care about are sports and waves. You need a boyfriend who’s mature enough to really see you for the great girl you are.”

“That’s easy for you to say Sapphire. You’re the most gorgeous girl in our entire class. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

“Yeah, well I’m not looking anyway. There’s too much other stuff to worry about. Stuff that’s really important.”

“Oh, whatever Sapphire. I love you, you’re my best friend and all but you really need to start dating. We’re only seventeen years old. We’re too young to worry about the outside world. Have some fun!”

“I do have fun! My idea of fun is just different than yours that’s all.”

“Oh fine, whatever. Let’s change the subject. What did you think of that band? The lead singer was so hot!”

They went back to chatting about the music when Sapphire saw a familiar face walk through the front door and had to catch her breath. It was Jason Mack, the class president and resident hottie surfer. Not that she was into him anyway. Besides, his girlfriend was Jessica Andrews, the epitome of gorgeous California blonde surfer chick. Head of the cheerleading squad, drama queen, spoiled rotten rich bitch. You know, typical self-absorbed teen beauty queen with the red BMW convertible. Sapphire herself, drove a more conservative midnight blue Chevy Malibu but she loved it anyway. It was her baby and she pampered it accordingly. Still, it was surprising to see him walk through the doors of the Earthy Muse with apprehension and excitement, a guitar case on his back. He searched the room probably trying to find her mom. Instead, he turned his attention to the coffee bar and she had to avert her eyes to keep from being caught checking him out.

“Omigod Sapphire! Hot boy numero uno is walking towards us. What’s he doing here?”

“Shut up Zena. Be cool. It’s just Jason. Big friggin’ deal.”

“Hey Sapphire, Zena what’s up? You ladies work here?”

“Yeah we work here. Actually, Sapphire’s parents own the place.” Sapphire turned to Jason, keeping her cool as he gazed at her.

“Oh wow, your mom is Amethyst O’Brien? That’s pretty fucking righteous! I had no idea.”

“Yeah, well why would you? It’s not like we socialize with each other at school.”

“Well, I guess we need to change that now don’t we.”

“So anyway, are you here to play music or what?”

“Um, I don’t know. I thought so but now I’m not so sure. What do you think? Am I fooling myself being here or what?”

Sapphire decided to soften her tone of voice with him. She could feel the nervousness and tension in his body, so completely unlike his usual self. At school he came across as much more confident and quite capable of anything but right now, he was like a scared little boy. It was kind of cute actually, endearing even. Maybe he was okay after all.

“Let’s go check with my mom. See if she has space for you tonight. If not, you can always come back tomorrow night and try again.”

“I don’t know if I could. It took everything in me to come out here tonight. I might be too chicken to try again tomorrow.”
“Well let’s see what we can do for you tonight then okay?”

Sapphire spotted Amethyst talking with one of her regulars and brought Jason over to her.

“Excuse me mom? I’m sorry to interrupt but I have someone I’d like you to meet?”

“One moment Judy okay? Sorry Doll.”

“What’s up honey?”

“Mom, this is…”

“Jason, I’m so glad to see you again. You decided to come back huh? Oh and you brought your guitar, fabulous darling.”

“What, you’ve already met?”

“Yes, but just earlier this afternoon right Jason?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Please, call me Amethyst. Ma’am makes me feel like an old broad.”

“Okay ma’am, I mean Amethyst.”

“Wonderful, I see you took me seriously and are ready to play. Luckily, I have one open spot left for the evening. It’s all yours for the taking if you’d like.”

Jason took a deep breath. This was it. No turning back now unless he wanted to be a puss. All right buddy, here’s your chance. Don’t blow it.

“I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”

“All right honey. Let’s go make you a star.”

Amethyst and Jason took off with Sapphire left to watch them from behind in utter disbelief. Unbelievable. They had already met… That’s how it worked though. Show business was a very strange business indeed. Well, it was back to the coffee bar for her. The orders were probably beginning to pile up. Time to get back to work. She couldn’t wait to hear him play. This should be very interesting.

Amethyst and Jason walked through the hookah lounge into a room slightly bigger than a closet where two other guitarists were tuning their guitars getting their hands warmed up, ready to get onstage when their turn came.

“Hey guys, I have another newbie here. It‘s his first night so don’t give him a hard time. Jason, I’m going to explain the rules for performing in my establishment.”

A resounding sigh came from the other two performers. Amethyst pointedly stared them down and they smirked at her.

“ Just kidding Amethyst.”

“Okay, so here’s the deal. You can come in and play as often as you’d like on the weekends. I have open mic night two times a week. Most of my slam poets come in on Wednesday but Thursdays are open for whoever cares to come in. The coffee house is closed Monday and Tuesday. I need a break too. Here’s my card. If you want to perform on the weekends, call me as soon as possible on Tuesday and I’ll put you on the roster. You snooze, you lose got it?”

“Got it.”

“One more thing and this is the most important rule. No drugs…period. If any of us catch you doing drugs or there are drugs in your possession, you’re out. This includes my bouncers, Sapphire, Jack or I. No amounts of begging or pleading will ever allow you back in. I run a clean club here and drugs will not be tolerated. Most of my bouncers are off-duty police officers and they know exactly what to look for so don’t think you can ever put anything past them. Do you understand?”

“I don’t even do drugs but yes, I understand.”

“Okay, we’re in agreement then. I pay $25 a set. I know it may not seem like much but are you here to make a lot of money or to get noticed? I have people from the industry here all the time looking for new blood. Some of today’s most popular artists got their start here in my little club so you’re in good company. So, do we have a deal?”

Jason glanced over at the other two performers who gave him a blank stare. Everyone was here for the same purpose. It wasn’t about the money so much as the golden opportunity and possibility of a recording deal. Even if they weren’t picked, it was still extra bread in their pocket. They all had day jobs anyway. At least, the older crowd did. They played for the pure enjoyment of it. Anything else that came their way was just the cherry on top. Besides, they knew her backstory and her resume. She wasn’t there to screw anybody over. If anything, she wanted to help them make their dreams come true.

“Alright, we have a deal.”

“Great. Now let me hear you play something. I need to make sure you’re worthy of playing in front of my crowd.”

“Right now?”

“Of course. I need to hear for myself that you can play and sing.”

They could hear clapping in the distance and Amethyst knew it was time for her next performer.

“Okay Dave, you’re up. Hustle baby. Get out there and make me proud.”

Dave grabbed his guitar, wished Jason good luck and made his way out onto the stage.

“Well Jason, get on with it honey. I don’t have all day.”

He pulled his guitar out of its case, quickly made sure it was in tune and began to play. He was completely nervous and Amethyst could hear it in how shaky his voice was. His hands however, had complete control over the strings so she could tell he had been playing for a while. She was being a bit tough on him but if he was gonna make it in this competitive market he had to bring it…every single time. He stopped and turned to her for approval. His eyes gave away his true feelings of nervousness and vulnerability and she softened her tone.

“That was just beautiful Jason. Good job honey. You passed the first test. Welcome to the Earthy Muse.”

She winked at him and left, a big smile on her face. Jason looked over at the other guy questioningly. He just bared his soul to one of the most influential people in the music industry and let out a sigh of relief.

“Good job man. That was really great.”

“Thanks Dude. I was a little nervous.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. We’re all like that at first. You had to get your cherry popped eventually, who better than Amethyst O’Brien to do it. She’s tough on everyone in the beginning. Gotta make sure you have a big enough sack to make it out there. I’ll tell you what though; she is one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet hands down. She loves musicians and understands them inside and out. Comes from hanging with them at a young age. She’s got the experience and the connections to take you places that you never thought possible, if you’re good enough.”

“What’s your name dude?”

“I’m Kingston McCall. I know totally lame but my mom was a freakin’ beatnik in love with the Kingston Trio. Anyway, enjoy playing here man. I’ve gotta get ready to start my set out there. Dave doesn’t have too many songs to perform yet so he’s finished pretty quickly. Later.”

Jason was left to get himself prepared to go onstage. Holy Shit! He never thought he’d really be getting ready to play music for an audience. It was always just a great way to unwind. The fact that he was actually going to perform for other people freaked him out. He tried to calm his nerves by practicing some chords. He’d been considering what he wanted to play since he spoke with Amethyst earlier that afternoon. He had a hard time hanging out with his friends at the beach and finally gave up on socializing at all when they wanted to get the bonfire going. He told Jessica he just wasn’t feeling well and wanted to get home and go to bed. Of course she wasn’t exactly happy about that and decided she would stay at the bonfire without him. She had some catching up to do with a few of her friends who had gone out of town for Spring Break. That was fine with him. He certainly didn’t want to spoil her fun. The last thing he needed right now was a bitchy girlfriend.

They spent the whole week together hanging out at the beach and she was beginning to get on his nerves. He tried talking with her about his music but she didn’t seem to care about it. Her dad was a big time record producer though so she was probably used to his talking shop all the time and just didn’t get amped up about it even though it was Jason’s passion. He couldn’t really blame her though. She probably thought all he wanted was to get in good with her dad so he could record a song. There were plenty of users out there who would date her for that reason. He just wasn’t one of them. Still, if she really cared about him, she would show at least some interest in what he was doing. All she seemed to care about was hooking up with him and the fact that he was one of the most popular guys at school. He didn’t deny his popularity. It was what it was but he didn’t let it rule his world the way some of the other guys did. This was just high school after all. Things changed once you got to college. Man, he couldn’t wait to get to college. Leave all these users and poseurs behind and really get on with his life.

Right now was awesome though. This very moment could change his whole world. He was getting pumped to go on that stage and show these people what he could do. Who knows, he might even impress Sapphire. He had always thought she was pretty hot and got really turned on whenever she would start debating with someone. Her leadership skills were top-notch just like his. She had beauty and brains and he really liked that. They ran in different circles of course but maybe now things would be different. He couldn’t wait to find out. He heard the clapping for Kingston and knew it was his turn. Taking a deep breath, he walked out the door, guitar in hand, ready to face the firing squad. It’s all-good.