The Secret Life of the Overture Boys - 2. Movement 2

Movement 2

Marta entered the room, “Sir! Sir… you are going to be late, get up!” She bustled around my room picking up discarded clothes. I groaned, groggy from the night before.

I had to pee.

Launching from my bed and, finding the bathroom, I relieved myself with loud sighs and moans. It really did feel that good.

“Rudy is outside waiting, sir. Hurry, hurry!” She vanished from the room. I yawned, checking myself out in the mirror. I looked like utter shit. My hair was this way and that.

“Shower.” I instructed myself. Slipping into the shower, I stood there letting the water soak. After some mental encouragement, I got ready. Put on a nice dress shirt, found some tie that I barely even tried to put on correctly before shaking my hair out and walking out of the bedroom. Snatching up my violin along the way I jury-rigged a scarf around my neck; the winter seasons were approaching fast.

Downing two glasses of orange juice in the kitchen, I took some Advil to relieve me of my pot headache and made for the elevator.

“Sir.”

“Yes, Marta, what?”

“Your father is in the city, he called earlier.” I stared at her for a moment.

“Tell him to fuck off.” She had a pen and paper and began to write it down, then stopped suddenly.

“Sir, that isn’t very nice!” I gave a lopsided smile as the elevator doors closed. The weightlessness as the elevator traveled downward tickled me. Almost sprinting out of the building, Rudy was leaning against the car.

“Late late late for a very stupid date!” I opened the door myself, slid my instrument in. Rudy got the idea and entered the cockpit. I lit a cigarette and enjoyed the damn thing all the way to the school.

I arrived, thanked Rudy as I did every time he drove me somewhere and I trudged up the steps of Julliard. I was being placed for classes next year and I suppose being late could be excused for…genius or something. Yeah, that would be my excuse.

Walking through the artistic halls of the school pissed me off, usually. Chalk full of young artists and musicians who are way too opinionated for their own good. They usually tried to wear the latest fashions that they couldn’t afford and always had to have the last word. Fuck that. I hated my kind; every other musician was stupid except me.

After asking around like a moron, I found the hall I was in. One of the main ones. It was big and shit, lots of seats, students sporadically placed sitting next to friends whispering. Some kid was playing the piano when I entered. I expertly slammed the doors as they echoed into the hall, making the professors turn to see what the noise was.

“HEY, SORRY!” I shouted, but the piano kid was immune to my shenanigans. I bounced down the isle, shed my jacket and marked my spot. One of the professors came over and sat next to me with a clipboard.

“You’re late.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“We have already gone through the strings.” It was some woman, she gave him this pout look like, ‘Oh sorry but you can’t go up cause the strings are done’. I got my violin out, finding specs of dust and eradicating them from my baby.

“Yeah, I’ll go up after him if you don’t mind. I was late, sorry and stuff.” I had no respect for little college teach assistance brats.

“Well, we might have you wait until the next session in a few weeks, is that okay?” She was treating me like a child.

The kid with the piano finished. I stood up and shimmied past the annoying pretend teacher.

“Excuse me…” I tried to get the attention of the older-looking real teachers.

“Um, sorry but you can’t go up.” I noticed some students were watching me; one in particular was fully turned in his seat. I had an audience. Considering, I turned to face the pretend teacher.

“Listen, I was late. Get over it. I’m going to play, not waiting a few more weeks so you can hear half ass musicians that are probably only here because their parents forced them. Okay?” She stared at me.

“You can’t talk to me that way, excuse me!” I was already walking down the aisle toward the other teachers .

“Sure I can,” I approached the table, the elder woman gave me an odd smile. “Hi, name is Anderson,” I leaned over, pointed at my name on the roster, “Sorry I was late, my driver has issues with city traffic and such, can I go up?”

“Oh well… yes you may, you have three minutes.” I turned to look at the pretend teacher and she was just wallowing in her sorrows, making her way back to the table. As I mounted the stage, I locked eyes with this brunette kid who had been watching me the whole time. He smiled at me, I just stared.

So, I played my piece and fucking owned it. Dismounting the stage, I didn’t even bother to take the stairs. I jumped off. I should have had fireworks go off when I landed. The teacher lady called me over, said this and that and was quite happy with my performance. She also said she would email me a confirmation to an appointment with a counselor to place me in classes, or some crap. All I heard out of her jargongobble was, “You’re amazing.”

I found my jacket and shit and sat down, lighting a cigarette. I was far enough back that they wouldn’t see, and I probably wouldn’t get kicked out. That brunette kid went up and sang. It was pretty good, and so was this Asian chick. Some opera piece; it gave you the shivers, that kind of music. After it was all said and done, I put away my weapon and collected up my jacket.

“Hey.” The voice was quiet, uncertain; I glanced up, balancing the cigarette in my lips.

“Yo.” It was the brunette kid. There was a dull social retardation pause between us. , I looked him over, and he was my height and looked around my age. Kind of ethereal looking, not as pasty as you would think, with the kinds of eyes people would actually comment on. Nice teeth. I bet he had braces at some point. So I asked. “Did you have braces at some point?”

“I… uh… what?” It took him a moment, “Oh yeah, I did like in…eighth grade.”

“Cool, nice job.” Standing I draped my jacket over my shoulder and turned to leave.

“Hey, wait,” he grabbed for my arm; I felt his fingers curl around my bicep and tug me toward him. This annoyed me.

“What?” It was rather rude.

“I… uh, I thought you were pretty good. My name is Berkley,” the hand that was forced to turn me turned into something of a peace offering. I crushed my cigarette between two fingers and flicked it somewhere into the hall. I took up his hand in a firm grip.

“Anderson, pleasure.” I was about to turn and leave, ridding myself of these retards when I saw him. Cassidy, sitting a few rows ahead. The back of his head, then he turned as I noticed him, a smile wiped on his face.

“Did you uh…want to hang out sometime?” This was only background music. I just stared at Cassidy. I gave him a dirty look and gestured him over violently. The Berkley kid turned to see what I was doing. , I finally remembered I was having social interaction.

“Oh yeah… sorry what?” he seemed defeated, Berkley. I saw it in his face, as if he had tried something so hard and it just backfired.

“Nevermind, nice to meet you.” The kid turned and began to wander off.

“Berkley, right? Yeah wait…here…” I brandished a pen from somewhere, “Give me your hand.” He turned, peering at me in confusion, “Give it, Jesus Christ.” I reached out for his hand, which was incredibly soft. Slender fingers, my hands travelled over the joints, turning it over. I wrote my number on the palm. If I would have looked, I was certain his face has brightened, but I didn’t.

“Cool,” is all he said.

“Yeah, call me.” I was still concerned with fucking Cassidy but he was gone. Berkley stood there, glancing at his palm then back tome. “Yup you were good too, alright peace.” I left.

I was travelling down the stairs and Cassidy fell into step with me. He wore the same shit all the time, it was so annoying. His hair was always messy but he was sure handsome. All the girls told him so.

“You were super good, A. I loved it.”

“What do you want?”

“What do you mean?” His face looked sadder than usual. Darker.

“I’ve seen you all over man, what do you want?” The wind picked up and I had to stop and put my jacket on.

“I dunno, just checking up.” Cassidy shrugged. I wanted to push him down the stairs, but for some reason I knew I would just pass right through him.

“People think I’m insane if I’m talking to you.”

“People think you’re insane even when you me, A.” He giggled.

“Oh fuck off Cassidy, please. Go bother Charlie or some shit.”

“Why are you always such a grouch.” I moved off, pulling out my cell to get Rudy.

“Its not the usual day when you see your dead friend.”

“I dunno, I guess you’re right.” Cassidy bounced after me. I got hold of Rudy and told him to come pick me up. He was on his lunch, so I told him to take his time. I pulled out another cigarette and sat at the steps, waiting in the creeping cold. Cassidy joined me.

“I’m not insane, am I?” I glanced at the kid, barely looking at him. He looked the same, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Nah.”

“I’m talking to you.”

“That means you’re a good friend.”

“Oh right, whatever dude,” I took a huge drag, even managed to cough up some of it. I was surely going to die of lung cancer, I knew this.

“Make friends with that Berkley boy.”

“Why? He’s a theatre junky. He sings. Really, Cassidy?” I nursed my cigarette further trying to avoid looking at Cassidy.

“I dunno, it might help.”

“Help what?” I felt if that I should have been offended. Cassidy laughed, the same giggling laugh before he decided to leave me forever.

“I dunno, maybe make the days go by quicker. You just go through the motions.”

I flicked my cig, “Fuck no, I don’t, I make my own days, I’ll have you know.”

“Whatever you say Anderson, whatever you say. Go out to lunch with your father.”

“Would you please stop Cassidy. Just go away, for a little bit? Haunt me no more, insert Shakespearian crap.” He laughed at this.

“Why not go to one stinkin’ lunch.”

“All he will do is just go, ‘Anderson here take this large sum of money as an appreciation that you are my son’ and leave for another year off in China fucking inbred prostitutes.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Uh, duh, I do. He is an asshole. You remember when you broke your arm? You were on the couch and you fell off and he was late for a business meeting. He didn’t even bother to call 911; I had to do it all. Asshole.”

“Yeah I remember. Just do it, fuck Anderson, you’re such a pussy sometimes.” Finally Rudy pulled up. I grabbed my violin case and turned to Cassidy, staring those stark blue eyes in the face. , I gave him the finger.

“Fuck. Off. Cassidy.” I made for the car. I entered and looked back out the window. Cassidy was gone.

“Where to sir?” Rudy asked.

“Back to the apartment, I want to sleep.” Rudy nodded and we headed out. I had two more cigarettes on the drive back. The city was colder now, overcast had set in and people moved quicker along the streets. The lazy summer had indeed gone. I then remembered my plans with the boys and texted Dominic. I got a location; I was to meet him in a few hours. “Hey Rudy?”

“Yes, sir?” We were at a stoplight; he turned to face me with those big brown eyes. “Want to drive me to Jersey in a few hours?”

“Certainly, sir.”

“Awesome.”

I arrived home and set my stuff down, plopping down on the couch through all three billion channels until I found something.

“Anderson?” That voice wasn’t Marta’s. I sat up suddenly; my father was standing in the hallway to the kitchen. All dapper and business like. I sighed and sank back into the couch.

“Hey.”

“How is school.” He went to the kitchen, started to make a drink. Didn’t even offer one to me.

“Alright, what are you doing here? Thought you were in China until like January?”

“I had some time, I wanted to check up on the accounts. Have you been ditching class?” I shot himj a dirty look, but ignored this.

“You going to be here for Christmas?”

“Is that cigarette smoke?”

“No.” Liar.

“Anderson, have you been smoking? I told you…”

“Ugh… go away dad. Just leave me alone.” He sat back, balancing his palms on knees. I felt as if I was going to be assaulted with something ‘wise’.

“I got an email a few weeks ago from one of your professors, you haven‘t shown up to class.”

“You going to be here for fucking Christmas?”

“If something opens up in my schedule, now answer me, Anderson.”

“DAD. It’s Christmas. I’ve spent three Christmases with Charlie’s family. They buy me presents!” He downed his drink, the glass clinking on the counter.

“I’ll send you some money if I can’t make it.” It was empty, I grimaced.

“Money, yeah alright.”

“I need to get to this meeting, what are you going to do?”

“You’ve said that three years in a row and you don’t come through.” I stood up and marched away.

“Anderson, stop being a child. I will let you know if my schedule opens up. Now, I’m late.”

“Fuuuck off!” I flipped him off as I moved up the stairs to my room. I slammed my door shut and took a nap. He didn’t bother me. I got up an hour before I had to leave, changed into something that wasn’t a dress shirt and tie. I found a note on the table with a check next to it. I glanced at the check, it was made out to cash. I snatched the letter up:

Anderson,

If Christmas doesn‘t happen.

-Dad

I brought the note up to eye level and used my lighter, watching it slowly smolder. When it was almost devoid of life, the flames were used to lit a well deserved cig. I went outside, walked a few blocks, wondering how I could possibly kill my dad, making it seem like an accident. I came across a homeless guy, I gave him the check. I didn’t need it. I was already rich.

“Hey man, thanks!” He looked at the digits and screamed loudly dancing around. Rudy picked me up and we headed for Jersey.

It took a bit, I gave the directions to Rudy and he punched in the GPS. The sky had been gray all day and threatened rain. I was just stoked for tonight, going to that club thing. We finally arrived at some abandoned lot. Rudy looked skeptical.

“Be careful, ya hear?”

“Always.” I exited the car and saw the Mercedes parked along the non-ghetto looking side of the street. Dominic was retarded, that shit could get stolen. I slipped through the chain fence and saw Charlie and Dom hanging out near a pile of junk. They yelled my name and waved me over. I went.

“What up. What’s this surprise? Its fucking cold.” I shivered. We were near the river in some junk dump place. It was barren and smelled bad.

“A new adventure into the world of drugs!”

“Hurrah!” Charlie jumped for joy.

“How fucked up will we be.”

“Major fucked.” Dominic seemed excited, so this must have been good. “The guy is kind of an asshole, but I’ve paid him well.”

“I can pay for it, no problem.” Charlie gave me a look and for a moment I wanted to tell him about Cassidy, but I didn’t. Dominic never talked about Cassidy after that day, ever. Dominic had been with Cassidy, too. I left the subject behind to wander the back of my mind.

“So let’s go. Gotta hit up that place tonight, remember?” I wanted to go.

“Yeah, let’s go. Over there, that trailer.” Dom pointed, I followed the finger to a really nasty looking trailer.

“Great, we’ll probably get STDs.”

“Probably,” Charlie added. We headed over to this trailer.

Dominic knocked and this ugly motherfucker answers. I recoiled at the smell from inside.

“Hey,” he croaked, “Come inside.” We did, I jumped back out, and the smell was horrible. Charlie started dry heaving, Dominic was fine. I had a strange feeling he had done this before. “You bring pussies?”

“Hey…” between fits of nauseated coughs, “Shut your mouth coyote ugly,” Charlie defended.

“Nah, they aren’t used to this. Where is it, let’s go.” Charlie entered and I had to take some breaths before entering and it still was fucking horrible. Upon entering, I knew what it was. A meth lab.

“Holy shit,” I only whispered it. Charlie remained close to me. The guy already had three needles set up. I was frightened out of my mind. Needles, fuck needles. I’ve only done heroin once and it was awesome yeah, but fuck needles.

“Alright, pretty kid first?” He pointed at me all smiling and nasty ass teeth. I wanted to vomit.

“Nah, me first,” Dominic came to my defense. They then started discussing price and arguing. Dominic said some choice words and the guy got pretty flipping angry. I glanced at the needles.

“Fuck, it, I’ll go first.” I rolled up my sleeve. I didn’t bother to check the needles, which was stupid. I brought up a vein; Charlie neared me, as if to protect me while Dominic worked over the ugly guy. Charlie got the syringe.

“Ready.”

“Ready, do it do it…come on…” He did it, it stung and I cringed and bit my lip and swore and I hated needles. Dominic had started shouting, I was waiting for the shit to hit but it didn’t come. I became suddenly paranoid and hit my arm, I felt dirty!

“Get the fuck out!” The guy yelled, he shoved forward; I dove for the door and stumbled out, Charlie following. “You fucking kids, get out!”

“You ripped me off sir! Come back here!” The guy chased Charlie and I out. I felt light headed. I felt it coming, like a rising sound. That point in a symphony where you know the composer put everything into it at that small millisecond of melody. I saw Dominic come out of the trailer.

The guy was yelling at Charlie, I swayed on the spot. Dominic shouted something and pulled out a lighter. He lit it, and the flame held still. He had stopped the safety with something. He tossed it into the open door of the trailer.

I sank to the ground, but my head felt great. Everything was great. Charlie slid next to me, smiling down; I touched his face and really wanted to lick it. I felt it in my veins, exploding, ripping across. It was the dirtiest clean I knew. I gripped at Charlie, he held on to me.

The corner of my perif exploded in flames, the trailer pulsed in fire for a moment then started smoking. Dominic was howling in laughter, flames erupted again. The guy screamed, my vision swam. He started chasing Dominic and the Polish kid sprinted away shouting profanity. I had a sudden burst of libido.

“Charlie, touch me.”

“What?” His voice sounded odd.

“Touch me, my dick, please.” I did it myself.

“Shut up Anderson,” he watched Dominic get chased around, laughing. I could feel Charlie’s laughter vibrate through his arms. I managed to get up. I felt great. Like after a work out, everything was running full steam and I was ready. READY. I leaned down running my fingers through the dirt. It was cool. Charlie lit a cigarette. The ugly guy seemed to tire out and Dominic joined us, panting.

“Let’s go.” I glanced at the trailer. It was still smoking.

“Did you blow it up?” I asked.

“Yeah, I read on wiki that if you have an open flame around those things sometimes it’ll explode. Guess so. What a dick. You got a free slam of meth too, congrats asshole.” He looked annoyed but we left after that. I was higher than a fucking kite. I have no idea how to describe this, but it was just great. I sat in the back of the Mercedes touching myself and kissing the windows and just enjoying the leather.

At a point I mellowed out, but I felt it explode in my veins, move like quicksilver through it. It hurt then it felt great, so great.

I had gone through vast amount of cigarettes, I still felt high. My bones itched and my hair felt funny. I thought I looked really good until I got a massive headache. We found some restaurant, ordered lots of food and drank a lot of wine. Dom bought for us, of course. I sat wallowing in all the food and drink, staring at everything and wanting to dry hump anything. It was a swanky place, but all the people there were old. I wanted to take my clothes off at one point, I told the guys and they said I shouldn’t.

We kept chain smoking, I even started to mooch off Charlie. We were also outside if you were wondering, considering you couldn’t smoke inside some places. Our waitress was hot. I thought about banging her numerous times. Charlie and Dominic had a lot to drink.

After leaving and paying the obnoxious bill, we made our way to the unnamed club. A lot of the conversation was stupid and I didn’t participate. Politics, religion, theory of dating, Dominic always rambled on about that shit. When we arrived at the building this thing was at, I felt my high leaving. I was still ready to pounce on anything, but it was fading slowly. I’m glad I kept my baggy from a while back.

It was some unmarked building. We go up, huge black guy is there. We’re on the list. Sweet. We go in. Pumping stupid ass techno music and stuff, flashing lights, lots of hotties and booze. But nay, I did not partake in the booze quite yet. I went to the bathroom and did a line. Some guy tried to get me to bump him but I declined and said he couldn’t afford it. He got angry.

Dominic found us some women. I got a short blond one. She was all right. She talked a lot about her major at apparently NYU. I always met these NYU retards.

“So like…yeah I’m in psych at NYU. I’m from Miami though.” and it went on and on and I finally hit up the booze. Mixing my drugs and alcohol was not the best idea. I threw up on her. I let myself rest for an hour or so before hitting the booze. The coke had ran its course and I still felt the ice in my veins from the meth, jolting me occasionally, tossing me into fits of paranoia.

Per drink though she got better looking and her words seemed way smarter than they appeared. We ended up dancing a bit on the dance floor. She sucked. I wasn’t even hard from it at all, and you’d think with an ass rubbing all up in my area it would get some stimulation. No. I blamed it on her, the drugs didn’t deserve this.

She noticed and said something to me and I called her a bitch but she actually didn’t hear me which was hilarious. Charlie and Dominic had already swapped girls and they were making out. Ahead of me already. I felt like I needed to race. I dragged her to the bathroom. We fucked there. It was dirty and raunchy, but she moaned all the time and yelled and she didn’t even know my name but I know she wanted to know it. I never told.

At some point I lost it. I was so tired, but we kept going, sweating like pigs in the stupid stinking bathroom. Even for a nice place I felt it needed a tad cleaning. After I did my thing she wanted me to do shit to her.

“No, lagoon creature.” I proclaimed this for the entire empty bathroom to hear. She swore at me and I called her slurs and horrible names that came gushing from my drunken, fucked up state.

I departed the bathroom. Dominic had acquired both the girls; Charlie was nowhere to be seen. I went over, after downing another shot and I was just destroyed. The music became awesome and I sat next to Dominic as he made out with these broads and tapped my foot to the generic, pretentious music. I smiled the whole time.

The lights swam and the people move like liquid. Under a strobe I see Cassidy dancing back and forth, giggling. Then he is gone. I sigh and just revel in my lack of revelation.

I notice everyone and everything, the ice runs through my veins once more and I squirm in my seat, moving in my boxers, messing with my pants. Massaging my thighs, I watch couples probe throats, hands lazily making their exodus downward. Rejections and acceptations, the drunk and the ever drunken.

They lived their pitiful lives of credit cards and leased cars, when I could buy a car, own it myself and never drive. I am a king but I don’t wear a crown because I don’t need one. Hear me when I come, cause I knew that the ground shook and these people looked. With my sick clown posse they say to me, “There is no place for you here!” And I just kick them in, it’s my town fuckers. I shouted laughter and jumped up leaving Dominic and his whores.

I joined Cassidy on the dance floor. We laughed and bounced around to the music. Fuck everyone else. It was our dance floor. Nobody fucked with me. Nobody. I was here, I was the king of this city and all I needed was a crown. I jumped the music and jived, grooved and twisted. Cassidy and I battled back and forth, but nobody ever won. Like religion and politics. There was no winner.

But I wanted to be that winner all the time. I swayed to the music and it soon just became background music to our constant laughter.

And then the dull buzz of music…swallowed by nothing.

I woke the next morning with a massive headache. I felt like shit. Shittier than shit. I moaned, “Fuck,” loudly and took a literal ten-minute piss. My face was gaunt and I was sweaty and oily. The night prior I don’t remember. Well, fuck that, yeah I do, but none of the cool parts. I only fucked some ugly chick in an equally ugly bathroom. I was certain my dick was all mesh due to some STD I caught. I bet Charlie and Dominic both got laid and won’t wake up with headaches. Fuck them. I hope their penises fall of.

Staring at my pale figure in the mirror, I just sighed at myself.

“Oh… you!” Snapping to point my finger at myself and chuckle, “You silly bitch.” I washed my face and put on my robe.

I finally noticed the time. 4:14 in the afternoon.

“FUCK!” I yelled for a while. The day was literally gone. I couldn’t find my cell phone. Shit. I stumbled down stairs.

“Oh…” Dominic was passed out on the floor with spilled bottles of wine. A girl draped over his knee. Charlie slept on the couch with a guy, a girl at their feet curled up. Bottles everywhere. “Marta is going to flip a shit.” I stepped over apparently a Chinese carton. We had food?

I saw a mirror out and streaks on it, “Fuck.” I saw my jacket and darted over checking for my baggy. It had shit left, good. I noticed a bong behind Dominic near the wall. I had like eight glasses of water attempting to figure out how I would clean this up before Marta got home. I hated putting her through this kind of stuff, especially with my dirty ass friends.

My cell phone was on the counter and buzzed, alerting me of a text message. I finished my last glass of water and hailed the room.

“Get up!” Charlie woke up and flew from his couch, pointing at the random guy there. Then they all just got up, “Get out pigs. I’ll call you two later.” They all just groggily left. Dominic took his bong and they left everything else. I sighed. Teenagers were stupid. I checked my text messages:

‘Hey, its Berkley, from the recitals, do u rmbr me? Do u want to hang out sometime?’

I sat and stared at the screen. Got another glass of water, left it open, went upstairs. Cleaned my room. Cleaned my violin. Took the longest shower ever and put on something to clean it then return to reply to the text message after some thoughtful thought.

‘Sure.’ I followed that with my address and, ‘Come over now.’