Part 2: Square One

  Chapter 5: Our Nights Under the Stars

  “This isn’t actually under the stars.” DD noted as her and Trent manned the radio station. A familiar old song was playing, by the artist Katy Perry.

  “We’re alone with the ability to make southern Nevada hear any song we have. I think it’s nice.”

  “Then play something besides Katy Perry.” DD insisted.

  “Alright then, you pick.”

  “Misery Business, by Paramore.”

  “You would pick something I downloaded from your phone.” Trent snickered as the Katy Perry song ran to it’s end. “You’re listening to 101.1FM KICK Winchester’s only radio station. The time is 2300 and it’s 70 degrees.” DD noticed Trent was looking out the station window to an old thermometer taped to the outside. So that’s how he knew. “Coming up next we have a request from one of my favorite residents of Winchester, for a song we’ve never played before, Misery Business by Paramore!” He faded himself out as the familiar song faded in.

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “That you’re one of my favorites? Yes I do.”

  “What about Scott, Aina, your parents?”

  “Scott is a given, Aina and I don’t always see eye to eye, she thinks I’m too serious. And my parents… aren’t around anymore.” His voice grew soft as he reached the end of the sentence.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “It was about a year after you left. Mom started having these headaches everyday. One day she woke up with amnesia, a few days later she died. Dad had some kind of heart attack I think, maybe two years after.”

  “You’ve been alone all this time?”

  “No, I have Scott.” DD could tell he was being genuine, but he was also crying a little.

  “I’m glad you had a good relationship with them while they were here. I don’t think Scott and I can say the same about ours.”

  “Your moms are both interesting people, yes. I never realized how Scott’s was until he told me about using me to keep you around.”

  “I only found out about that recently too.”

  “How can I be mad though. Maybe the reason wasn’t genuine, but you two are genuine friends.”

  “That’s sweet. I’m glad we met you too.” The pair sat and waited out the rest of the song, letting their bodies bounce in their chairs a bit to the music. DD pointed her finger at another song on the screen. Trent let the music flow directly into the song she’d picked. It was by the band Bloxx. Despite not always seeing eye to eye with her on music, he was growing fond of this group.

  “New York has stolen my lover.” Trent pondered the line from the song’s chorus as it rang out. “What do you think New York was like when this song came out?”

  “Not underwater for a start,” DD chuckled. “It’s talked about the way Seattle is talked about now, so maybe it wasn’t as nice as everyone makes it out to be.”

  “It’s been hundreds of years since anyone’s lived there so it’s hard to say.”

  “Maybe it’s like Seattle, you can still see a lot of old downtown under the water from Queen Anne Island.”

  “Is that where you lived?”

  “Oh hell no, Queen Anne is the heart of the city, you need a good job to live there. I lived in Burien.”

  “Sounds like a far cry from here, barely any water, and there you were island hopping.”

  “My home is here, for now.” DD wanted to say her home was with him and Scott, but chickened out.

  “Ever see any of those bio-luminescent fish?”

  “I did, not alive though. They hang out in the deep water apparently. Even with all the big hats up there, nobody could give me a straight answer to why bio-luminescence has become so common. At least, not any who would talk to a lowly worker like me.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Shame.” The song was already winding down as Trent spoke.

  “Let me do it.” DD gestured at the microphone. As the song ended she took the microphone. “That was 5000 Miles by Bloxx, you are listening to 101.1 FM KICK, Winchester’s only radio station.” DD paused for a moment. “Trent help.” She’d run out of words to say. He took the microphone laughing a bit.

  “It’s 2315, next up our guest will pick another song.” Trent handed DD the microphone.

  “It’ll be Rip Up My Heart by Rews.” She picked a song randomly from her head. Trent scrolled on his screen to the R section and the song began playing.

  “Lose your train of thought?” He asked.

  “A little.” She blushed a bit. “You also made me choose this song on a whim.”

  “Sounds angsty.” Trent noted.

  “It’s alright.” It ranked somewhere in the middle as far as her own music taste went. “Why don’t you pick the next song?”

  “I think I will, I came across an older one the other day.”

  “Older than the 2000s?”

  “Yeah I found an old album we hadn’t ripped yet in the library.”

  “Play it then.” DD and Trent continued to enjoy the Rews song, both eventually doing little dances at each other in their chairs. Trent then allowed the song to fade into the new one, and DD knew it instantly. It wasn’t one of her songs, but it was that of another friend she’d had… in Reno. The Johnny Cash song came to life and the impulse to sing along came over her slowly.

  “I fell into a burning ring of fire, I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher-”

  “Holy crap.” Trent interrupted her.

  “What?” DD was suddenly blushing hard.

  “You have a beautiful singing voice.” Trent was going to cause her heart to stop from all the blood rushing away from it.

  “N-no, I don’t.”

  “Yes you do. Why have you never sung around us before? You sound like an angel.” Trent suddenly realized how much she was blushing, and how uncomfortable she’d become, he just wasn’t sure why she’d hide a genuine talent. “Take a deep breath DD.” She followed his command and came back down to Earth a little.

  “I’m embarrassed to sing in front of people. This song just brings it out a bit.”

  “Do you like this song?”

  “Not really, but Sam and I used to play music together in their house in Reno. I’d sing and they played the guitar. They loved Johnny Cash.”

  “Why could you do it with them and no one else?” Trent felt a new emotion coming on. Was it jealousy perhaps?

  “Comfort. I guess it’s only them, and you, I feel comfortable enough to sing around.” She was still struggling to speak. The slight jealousy left Trent with those words as the song faded away. Trent pushed a few buttons on the computer and a new song started.

  “Come with me.” He stood up and gestured for DD to do the same. He opened the fire escape door in the back of the radio station, notably not triggering the alarm. She walked out behind him, and found him already sitting on the rusted fire escape, three stories up over the empty field behind the school. She sat next to him and let her legs dangle over the side.

  “Can I say something dumb?” Trent asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve never quite gotten our friendship dynamic.”

  “What’s that mean?” DD was taken aback.

  “Everyone seems to think I’m some kind of prude.”

  “You kind of are. What’s your point?”

  “Our entire life I’ve always felt bad when you and Scott do something stupid and all I do is stand on the sidelines and point it out. You both always looked so disappointed. When you two started dating I thought you would phase me out entirely, then you vanished.”

  “Trent. I can’t pretend I was never disappointed you chose to sit things Scott and I did out, but if anything I was always worried you felt left out. Plus I really enjoy the time I have spent with you. I think you were the first person I could really let see who I was on the inside at all. I’ve only been able to do that with Scott since I got back.

  “I actually feel the same way about you. I’ve never even cried in front of Scott.”

  “Why me though, I’m just like Scott.”

  “You’re not just like Scott. Scott is always moving at his own speed. You are capable of slowing down. It sounds like it wasn’t just with me either. This isn’t an insult at Scott by the way, I’m just… not always able to keep up with him.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I’ve always found our night talks peaceful, and I rarely find myself in a state of peace. I also love just, being able to be outside without solar gear, looking at the stars.” The sky was full of blues and purples and all the beautiful lights in between. Hundreds of speckles of light and some smaller light and cloudy areas, which might be those ‘nebulas’ she’d heard about.

  “Let’s go play more music.” He said. The two stood up and went back inside. “Why don’t you try speaking again?”

  “Okay.” The song that was playing ended just as they got settled again. “You’re listening to 101.1FM KICK Winchester’s only radio station.” She had lost her train of thought again, shit.

  “Where our music is more continuous than DD’s train of thought.” Trent had scooted so his face was nearly touching hers, next to the microphone. She began laughing a bit.

  “Did you really need to insult me on the radio?” She snickered.

  “Can’t have you giving our audience the silent treatment.” He began laughing too. “The time is midnight and the temperature is 69 degrees.”

  “Nice.”

  “Oh my god act like a grown up we’re on the radio.” Trent was in a full laughing fit now, DD took over the microphone as Trent finally lost his cool.

  “I’m going to do something I’ve always wanted to do.” She said scooting to the computer. “Anyways, here’s Wonderwall.” The Oasis song began playing as DD went into a laughing fit as well. It took Trent a few seconds to mute the two of them, their laughter spreading on the radio waves across Nevada.

  To Be Continued

  -I do not make any profit from writing Home Means Nevada and I claim no ownership of the songs used in this chapter. (But you should listen to Bloxx)