Ignoring Ron, Jude opened the refrigerator and moved the expired carton of milk to the side, hoping something to eat would magically appear behind it. The kitchen and the living room were part of one small room that Jude could cross to the bedroom in three longstrides.
They had been lucky so far. Their old neighbor gifted them an old tweed couch in exchange for moving help. When Derek saw he was leaving behind a broken TV, the neighbor said if he could fix it, it was his. Derek’s stepfather had been a TV repairman, so changing out some tubes in the old TV was second naturetohim.
For money, they would stand out at the day laborer stations and do construction for cash. At night, they went to the different clubs trying to get spots for the band. Sometimes they were successful, other times they had to pay like they did the other night at The Roxy. Ron and Derek seemed optimistic, but despite his being called a dreamer, Jude was more realistic. He knew they didn't have achance.
There were too many bands in LA. Back in Ohio, they were the cool guys. Everyone loved them. In LA, they were just like every other band, except less talented. Jude regularly received offers to replace drummers in more successful bands, but he always turned them down. He couldn't do that to his friends. He didn't even tell themaboutit.
Just because he knew they wouldn’t make it big like they wanted didn’t mean he was just going to ditch them. Ron and Derek had been the closest thing to family Jude ever had. He couldn’t remember the last time he spoke to his mother and he didn’t have any other family. So until they realized the band was going nowhere, Jude was sticking with it for as long as he could. Still, he was curious what it would be like playing with more talentedmusicians.
"You guys want to hit The Whiskey tonight?" he asked. "Tan Lines isplaying.”
* * *
Walking up Sunset Boulevard,the lights from the red building that housed The Whiskey felt like a beacon to Jude. He’d give anything to play where all his idols had. He didn’t see that happening though, not while he was in the band with DerekandRon.
A line of people stood around the corner waiting to enter the building. Wearing his jeans from earlier with a black t-shirt and a pair of black boots, Jude led his friends farther down the block to the kitchen entrance and high-fived the bouncer who letthemin.
They snaked their way through the dingy hall to the concert floor. Sound check had just ended and the crowd hadn't been let in yet. While Ron and Derek went to the bar, Jude took advantage of the house lights being on and looked around the room for familiarfaces.
Up by the stage, he noticed a girl with black hair and bangs hitting just above her eyes. She was dressed all in black and he knew without seeing them that she had a pair of Doc Martens on. He couldn’t take his eyesoffher.
Ron handed Jude a bottle of beer. “Guess you already forgot about the love of your life,” he said. “Do you know her or is she just going to be another trophy for the almighty JudeMorrison?”
“Fuck off, Ron,” Jude said. “You know I’m not like that. She works atTheRoxy.”
“Then go over andsayhi.”
“I think I will,” Jude said. “But we haven’t met yet. Cade told me about her, called heramuse.”
“Cade?” Derek asked as he caught up to Jude and Ron near thestage.
“Uh yeah, the singer for Tan Lines. He came up to me after the show the other night, after you guys went offstage.”
“What did he want? Did he like our show?” Derekasked.
“Give me a break, Derek. You know he just wants our boy to play drums for him,” Ron said. “You know how good Tan Lines would be with a real drummer? They’ve got ahacknow.”
“Is that true, Jude? Are youleavingus?”
“I told him no, I’ve got a band. I'm not goinganywhere.”
“Listen, Jude. We’re not stupid, we know you’re way better than us,” Ron said. "Maybe you should think about it. I mean, I can't even sing. This has been great living out here and being a part of the scene, but if you have a chance at something better, you should take it. One of us has to make it or we came all the way out here fornothing."
Jude didn't know what to say. He wanted to agree with Ron, but he wasn't ready to give up on them as a band. It just didn't feelright.
Keeping his eyes on Zoey, the house lights dimmed as the crowd entered. A muse might be exactly what he needed. But more than that, Jude wanted to get toknowher.
As he thought about how his friends always teased him about women, he stopped himself from heading over to introduce himself. They didn't understand. It wasn't about sex or what these women would do for him, he really did care about them, even if he couldn't remember that onegirl'sname.
And so what if he couldn't remember one name? He remembered this one, and he hadn't even met her yet. That had to count forsomething.
Keeping an eye on her, he watched Zoey work the room. She seemed to know everybody. Slowly, she turned and he caught her eye. He smiled, unsure what to expect from her. Would she act like a groupie and rush over? He got his answer when she smiled back thenturnedaway.
That surprised him. Without thinking, he made his way over to her as Tan Lines took the stage. Zoey had confidence, and that made him even more interested in her. Without even meeting her, Jude knew he was already falling for her. He couldn't help himself. Underneath it all, Jude Morrison was a hopelessromantic.