Axe VictimChapter 17
- 2 years ago
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School began two weeks after the funeral and Don drove Kasey to school and then returned home to work out the details of his return to the spotlight. After the first day, Kasey asked to ride the bus like the other kids. She didn't want to be treated differently. Don reluctantly agreed.
And so it was that after she left for school, the members of Barrier Riff and their agent, Morty Andrews were gathered on Don's deck.
"Okay," Don said, breaking up the side conversations. "Here's how it's going down. You know I've been working on setting something up for Barrier Riff. And I've kept you all in the dark long enough. Monday, Labor Day, Barrier Riff is going to headline a show at the Festival Centre. Three local bands, Trueblood, Heyride, and Cmonster, will open the show. It will be a charity event. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. If I get my way it will be an annual event."
"I don't do charity for anyone," Key said, instantly angry. "Besides its only two weeks away, we haven't rehearsed. The new stuff isn't ready for the road yet."
Stix started to say something, but Don waved at him. "I had a feeling that might be the case. I will cover any expenses. If you need to be paid, I'll pay it. You let Morty know how much." Don turned to Bass and Stix.
Stix shook his head. "No way. I'm in. I think it's a great idea. In fact, I'll pay half of whatever WE have to pay."
Bass nodded. "I'm in. I'm not sure I want to contribute more, but I think it's a good idea too. It's about time we gave something back to the community."
Morty shrugged. "I can live without my percentage. The publicity alone is worth that."
"Okay then. We need to rehearse an hour show."
Keys was unhappy. They argued for an hour before finally agreeing on an hour show that could be ready in less than two weeks. Don turned Morty, Stix and Bass loose on some of the details that still needed to be worked out.
Wednesday morning found Axe Woodson on the steps of the Festival Center, surrounded by the media. He stepped up to the microphone. "Welcome. I told you Axe Woodson would be back and here I am. I'm pleased to announce that Barrier Riff, Trueblood, Heyride, and Cmonster will be performing here on Labor Day starting at 2pm; in a special charity event that I hope will become an annual event here in Central City. We are going to call it the Jessica Woodson Concert for Cancer. All proceeds from the show will go to the American Cancer Society in the hopes that someday a cure will be found and no one will have to go through the suffering that my wife and family did just a short time ago."
"Axe, will Barrier Riff be doing any songs from the new CD?" a voice shouted from the back.
"Anything is possible," Axe replied with a twinkle in his eye.
"What will the admission charge be?"
"We will be asking a dollar. Anything more will be graciously accepted."
The crowd was a buzz. Axe couldn't hear anymore direct questions, so he held his hands up and smiled. "Thank you for coming. I hope to see you all here Monday afternoon."
"I want to do something for the show, Monday, Dad," Kasey said, walking out to deck where Don sat with his acoustic guitar, picking and thinking.
"Okay, any ideas?"
Kasey shrugged.
"Can you play any instruments?"
"Sort of."
Don looked at her. Kasey shifted nervously. Taking a deep breath, Kasey said, "I can play guitar a little."
Don thought for a moment, watching as Kasey squirmed. "Okay. Sit."
Don disappeared into the house for a moment and returned with another acoustic guitar and a pick. He handed them to a clearly nervous Kasey.
"Relax, Kasey. I just want you to show me how well you can play. If you want to play with me there will be a lot more people watching you and listening to you."
Kasey nodded and strummed the strings. She took a deep breath and began to play "Lost Without You". Don watched and listened for a moment and then picked up his guitar and played along. After a bit, Don began to sing the song he had written nearly twelve years before. He was surprised when a clear soprano voice joined him for the chorus. Kasey sang along, sadly harmonizing with his baritone.
Don even picked a brief lead before ending the song. "Wow, when were you going to tell me?"
"I'm not that good, Dad," Kasey replied, blushing.
"Have you been playing long?"
"Jenny and I have been taking lessons from a friend since I turned fourteen. Mom bought me a guitar for my fifteenth birthday, but we sold it before we came here."
Don smiled. "Can you play that song with me in front of ten thousand people?"
"I-I-I don't know," Kasey replied. She straightened her back and looked Don directly in the eyes. "But I want to try."
"Okay. 'Lost Without You' is not on our set list. We need to practice this several times before the show."
Kasey nodded.
The Festival Centre was filled to capacity when Don stepped to the microphone. "Hello, Central City! Thank you for coming out and helping me. Are you ready to ROCK?"
The audience screamed its approval.
Cmonster's drummer began to tap his sticks together. Don raised his hands over his head and clapped along. The crowd joined him, filling the hall with the staccato beat. Don looked at the band behind for a moment before stepping back to the microphone. "Let's welcome Cmonster."
Cmonster opened the show, rocking the auditorium with their keyboard laced brand of music. The audience clapped and danced in their seats. Don tapped his foot as he watched from the side of the stage. Cmonster proved to be the perfect opening act for the show. Their up-tempo style grabbed the audience from the beginning. He smiled as he watched Hailey Marshall spin on her chair behind his black grand piano. He made a mental note to have the thing tuned right after the show. The way the blonde banged on the keys, it was bound to be out of tune by the end of the show.
When Cmonster finished their set, Heyride ran onto the stage. Don had arranged for all of the bands to use the same set up. Stix bought a new drum set just for the show and made sure that all of the drummers were comfortable with it. Don arranged for any and all of keyboards and amplifiers that the bands needed. Each band used its own guitars. This kept the breaks between bands down to just a few minutes.
Heyride and Trueblood played well, keeping the audience with them until finally, David Morris, the lead singer for Trueblood stood quietly at the microphone waiting for his band mates to leave the stage.
"Are you ready, Central City? Here's what we've been waiting for! Barrier Riff!"
The next two weeks went by in a blur of activity for Don and Hailey. There were dates to choose and people to see and when the two weeks ended, Don sat back and sighed. His first marriage hadn't been such a hassle. But the smile on Hailey's face when some part of her dream could be accomplished was worth every minute. And so it was that Don found himself on the couch idly sipping at a bottle of beer. Hailey was in the bedroom with Leslie, Jenny and Kasey. It was time for the prom. Don was...
For a couple of weeks, it was like Hollywood magic. Don couldn't believe his good fortune. His time with Jessie was just as special as it had been so many years before. Kasey was wary at first, but she quickly warmed to him. Now it was as if they had been together the whole time. Even his song writing had returned. His life had focus once again. Barrier Riff returned to the studio and even Keys was enthused by the new songs Don was writing. With the new songs, Don was moving the group in a...
Don slipped into the bar quietly. It was early and there were only a few customers. He knew that Cmonster was playing that night and hoped to catch them before they went on. "Omigod!" he heard a woman's voice from the doorway as he sat down facing the stage. "Relax, Candy. He probably just stopped for a drink." "Do you think he'd mind if I sat with him, Hailey?" Don smirked and then wiped the smile off his face and turned toward the door. He could see Hailey Marshall and Candy...
Friday night found Stix and Don sat at the bar of a restaurant chatting and drinking beer while waiting for Robin, Leslie and the girls to show up. Stix turned to the bartender to order another when he noticed Keys on the television screen. He waved at the bartender. "Can you turn that up?" Don turned and looked where Stix was pointing. "Musically the show Monday was horrible, Crystal," Keys said. "Oh, I'm sure the audience didn't notice, but it was a technical mess. And don't get...
Two weeks later, Don and Wes were tuning up in the practice space, waiting for Charlie and Hailey. Don's cell phone rang and as he opened it, Stix opened the door and walked in. "Oh boy, when Keys messes up, he does it big time," Stix said, striding into the practice room with a newspaper under his arm. "No kidding, Stix," Bass replied, pointing at the paper on his amp. "Glad to see you could make it, Stix," Don said with a smile as he closed his cell phone and turned...
"Oh, my god, Jessie, what are you going to do?" Leslie Noonan asked as she slid a cup of tea across the counter to her friend, Jessica Mayberry. "I don't know, Les. I'm still in shock." "Well, yeah. I mean, what about Kasey? I could take her, of course, but I..." "I know, Les. You have things you need to do. No, I couldn't burden you with Kasey. You need to get settled in Central City." "The girls are going to flip out on us, you know." "Yeah, I can't say that I blame...
Don paced back and forth outside the ICU. The doctors said Jessie was stable. She was asleep. Emotions raced through Don. He was angry with Crystal. He was mad at himself for letting Crystal maneuver him into the interview. He was worried about Jessie. This was obviously the beginning of the end. More than anything, his heart was sad. His time with Jessie was drawing to a close. He felt bad for Kasey and hoped that he would be enough family for her. His cell phone chirped, interrupting his...
"If this is Saturday night, this must be Cincinnati," Bass said, as he entered the room back stage. Hailey Marshall smiled. "Where's Axe?" "He's at the airport picking up Jenny and Kasey. They'll be here in twenty." "I didn't think they were coming to a show until next month." "Yeah, well, apparently Kasey's having some problems. Don agreed to try to talk to her tomorrow and then send her back to Central City." "What kind of problems?" Wes frowned. "It's not my place,...
Hailey pulled up to Axe's place. His truck wasn't in the driveway. She sat and waited for a while. He'd called and asked her to meet him here. She dialed his cell phone. No answer. With a sigh, she got out and headed into the house. "Axe?" There was no response. He wasn't in the kitchen, his bedroom, on the deck or even in the game room. Hailey felt strange. She tried the cell phone again. No answer. She looked around the game room again. She saw the shiny black baby grand in the...
(two more days have passed) What a day, Donovan sighed, pulling his black pickup into his driveway. He couldn't believe the stuff Keys came up with this time. It was trite schlock. And he told them so in no uncertain terms. Barrier Riff had never fought in the studio before. This one was a doozy. Keys was right about two things. The record company wasn't going to wait forever, and Donovan had nothing better for them to play. There was no way his name was going on an album with that...
Jessie smiled as she listened to the chaos around her. Don's friend Stix was telling stories about life on the road. Kasey and Jenny were watching him intently. She watched as Stix's wife, Robin, tried to keep control of her three boys. It was just what she needed. She felt comfortable now. Kasey had a place to live, a place filled with love and affection. Her pain would be bearable knowing this. Leslie was watching her intently from across the table. Jessie smiled. "I'm okay, Les," she...
The two weeks between the Midwest swing of the tour and Christmas blew past Don in a hurry. Even Christmas came and went in a flurry of activity. Wading through the over one hundred affidavits in support of John West's lawsuit, Don and Ted Hargrove poked more than a few holes in the case. The whole legal process mostly served to exhaust Don. Kasey, Jenny, and their boyfriends were constant visitors in Don's house. Don didn't find much time to spend with them, unfortunately. Between...
Don was chopping onions with his back to the doorway when Hailey slipped into his kitchen. "Guess who?" she said putting her hands over his eyes. "Miss America?" "No." "Miss July 1999?" "Get serious, Axeman." "The sexiest keyboard player in the world?" "Closer." Don spun quickly and smiled. "Hailey!" He kissed her long and hard, pinning her backside against the island in the middle of the kitchen. "How are you feeling?" he asked as they separated, slightly...
Don turned back toward Hailey after he closed the door. "I'm sorry, Don," Hailey said softly. "I didn't mean to come on so strong this morning, especially not after the shower. I, um, just need to know where we are going. I mean what we have is nice, but it's not enough. Not enough for me, anyway. I need more. I'm not sure I said that very well this morning." "Okay," Don said. "So, I was hoping we could talk about what you want. I mean what you want us to be?" Don turned and...
11:45 a.m., Saturday, March 14th 2009: a Freshman Dorm, Athens, Georgia"Ronnie?" I stretched as I uttered my girlfriend's name. My eyes were still closed but I could feel her warm body snuggled next to me. On both sides. Huh? Both sides? I stretched again as I opened my right eye.Ronnie had short blond hair today. Which my still fuzzy brain found strange since she'd always had shoulder length brown hair. So I shut my eye and lay back down against the pillow. Blond hair?"Aaaaaaahhhh." A...
Dramatic Role - part 2 in which I become Kerry Slater I didn't bump into Miss Slater for a few days after that, but I did discover that her first name was Julie. Then she stuck her head through the door to one of my english classes and simply asked if I could be excused to sort out something for the drama club. I was allowed to leave and followed her to the drama rooms, where she immediately locked the door and leant against it. "I think you ought to try on your dress for the part....
Leslie took the two teenagers with her when she left. It was generally agreed that Jessica and Donovan had a number of things to discuss and they were in the way. Jessica shooed them all away with a smile and a promise that they could come back in the morning and the girls could stay with her and Donovan while Leslie got started on her dream, a fabric store named "A Stitch in Thyme." Donovan cleaned up the kitchen, tossing the empty pizza boxes in the trash and putting glasses in the...
Don frowned as he watched Bobby Jones escort his daughter to his Mustang. Something about the boy didn't sit right with him. Bobby answered all the questions just right. He shook Don's hand, met his eyes, but something just felt wrong. He wondered if he weren't too protective of Kasey. He wanted her experiences to be good. Don sighed as he closed the door and turned back to the movie that Jenny put in. Kasey was frowning when they finally sat down in the theater. The pizza had been...
Midnight was fast approaching. Don walked back to the Game Room and coaxed the teenagers to join everyone in the living room. Hailey smiled as she stepped up next to Don. "Five." Hailey grabbed Don's arm, drawing his attention away from Kasey and Brandon. "Four." She smiled as his eyes turned and met hers. "Three." Hailey pushed herself up on her toes and put her hands on Don's shoulders. "Two." Hailey closed the space between their lips. "One." Their lips touched together...
Don woke with a start. His eyes popped open and he struggled momentarily to remember why he wasn't in his bed. He was in Hailey's bed. He turned his head. Yup, this was Hailey's bed. With a smile, his eyes caressed her bare body as she lay beside him. He was pinned to her bed by her arm. He smiled as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered. "Oh my... It wasn't a dream, then," Hailey said, drawing her arm back across his chest and stretching. Don didn't...
They decided to leave her car at the practice space and piled into his truck. Hailey scooted over to the middle of the big bench seat and kept her hand on the inside of his thigh the whole way to his place. Don's jeans felt tight. There was no doubt about his interest. Hailey checked frequently, stroking down his thigh and then back up to the prominent bulge between his legs. "Keep that up and we're gonna crash," Don hissed. "Just drive, Don," Hailey said in a husky whisper. The...
Sprawling on a couch in the bar, Effie looked at her watch. The waiter crouched beneath her feet gave a quiet grunt as she leant back, stretching so that the heels of her shoes dug into his side. "Mmm. This has really been a great evening," she said, raising her glass of liqueur to her friend. "It certainly has," Coral agreed. "It was wonderful that you asked me to come. It's been terrific." "And," she pushed the waiter away with a jab of her heel, "it's going to get better. Are...
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School and the local restaurant where Anna worked part time as a waitress, had been one hell exhaustive for her. She had been recently promoted to the 11th grade. A baby-blue-eyed, blond, 5’ 6” slim girl, with C cup cleavage to accentuate her curvy hips, Anna had no problem giving free boners. However, she was no way a slut or even close to that. Her upbringing in a reserved manner, and her superior conscience despite being just 17 years, had taught her the rights and wrongs of morality. She...
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Six weeks. It was six long weeks since I'd last seen or touched her. So much had gone on between us since then. I couldn't close my eyes without flashbacks. Her opening the door, kissing me, touching me, me spanking her arse and cumming all over her. I couldn't tell a soul. I couldn't tell anyone that I had never fucked, or been fucked like that by anyone. She was undoubtedly the best sex I have ever had. In the long, agonising days and weeks that followed that eventful night, she had been...
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LesbianCHAPTER ONE My name is JA, I am currently attached to a slave post located in the village square. I have done nothing wrong and my attachment is in no way noteworthy. I am but one of nearly thirty male slaves here. Each of us is standing on our toes with our hands held by handcuffs behind our backs. We stand on our toes because each slave's balls are held tightly trapped by a steel ball which is suspended from a cable. The cable is attached to a long pole that is about six feet above...
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Carhartt overalls, thermal underwear, backpack, rope, hammer, pitons, rolled up wetsuit, dried food for a week, water canisters and the rest including a first aid kit. I had searched the net to make a list of what the soldiers took with them when exploring the Portals. There wasn’t much real information on the net, but some did filter out. Gear being one of them. Since I couldn’t take a set of regulation army protective gear, I settled for football and soccer pads over sturdy winter...
I exited the shower feeling a thousand times better, and maybe a million times cleaner after a week in the wilderness fighting against Orcs who never even heard of a bath. While combing my hair, the doorbell rang. The pizza boy had arrived early. A cute girl in a Moma Sobino’s windbreaker and threadbare sprayed-on jeans, stood on the porch carrying a bright-red warming bag. Opening the door in a towel, I asked her to wait a second, then hunted down my wallet from my bedroom and...
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That night we made plans on entering on the twenty-seventh. That Good Friday began their Easter break from school. No one was allowed to enter the other Portals until April first when the Presidential Executive Order became active, anyway. On the first, they would take off from school and we would all head to the SS to get our licenses. Our dungeoneering schedule was planned for the next two weeks or so. Subdued, the three kept the conversation on business and Portal hunting. The Terrible...
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With IDs and social security numbers in hand, I spent Friday afternoon at the bank, jumping through their countless hoops, in order to open up a bank account for the four of us. Pointless rules and regulations made the task more difficult than it needed to be. In the end, the girls would still need to individually go to that specific branch to sign their names, before getting access to that account and their debit cards mailed to them. While I was at the bank, I set up a second account under...
On Thursday, I picked up the trio from school, took them to the bank, and then dropped them off at Nancy’s gym before heading to Kyle’s. While changing after a rigorous class, one of the new students approached me, the man from the same couple that stood out from last session. This session too. “Do you have a few minutes?” I had planned on showering after going home; going out in public drenched in dried sweat and stinking of four hours of B.O., wasn’t my cup of tea. Call me vain. “Let...
Since I was about to do a run with David’s team, the terrible Trio took the bus to Nancy’s Gym and home again. Later that night. the girls crashed through the front door while I watched the Blackhawks about to get knocked out of the playoffs. Tired from a hard practice session, the shower warmed up while Nat waited impatiently with a towel over her shoulder. Kate headed to the kitchen to warm up food, and Jude crashed on the floor, not even trying to move. No complaints, just three...
I was stretched out on the couch in my sweats and jersey watching playoff hockey and zoning, when the door opened. Two happy girls entered, carrying bags of clothes. “Did you lose one?” “We dropped Nat off at work, she could only get someone to cover for a couple hours.” Dumping the bags in their bedroom, I was dragged by the hand to my bedroom by Kate. “Shirt, sweats. You know the drill.” I undressed to the smiling eyes of a cute seventeen-year old girl. Leaving only my flannel boxers...