They entered the garage with all of their equipment, Andrew leading the band together in a circle and lecturing the group on the importance of the next couple of shows for their future.
“We are going to show them who the best band in California is. We gotta believe in our talents because there will be people who doubt us.”
Andrew was a handsome young man. Everything about him was flashy, and he carried himself in a charismatic way. The band revolved around him. He constantly gave the members demands and was dangerously conceited. His personality offered a striking contrast to the quietest member in the band, Samantha. Although Samantha was exceptionally talented, her introverted nature concealed her talents. This irritated Andrew as he would mock Samantha and her stage fright. He never understood why she would not show her face on stage.
“Why don’t you just show your face on stage for once? Don’t you want people to see you? It’s pretty embarrassing to hide behind the curtains like that,” Andrew laughed.
Samantha stood there, her face turning a bright red. She didn’t say anything in defense, and neither did the other two group members, Max and Curtis. They were the guitarists, and along with Samantha, they were scared of being criticized by Andrew.
Samantha, Max, Curtis, and Andrew all attended high school together. They started the band a couple of years after high school, believing their talents put together would bring immense success and endless potential. However, it was evident that Andrew had his own plans for the band and was the egotistical one in the group. His narcissistic behavior took a deep turn once the band started to receive more recognition. He felt that the band’s extraordinary success was due to his talents, the others a mere add-on. Although Samantha, Max, and Curtis wanted to leave the band and go on with their lives, they needed the money to provide for their family or were too scared to stand up for themselves.
The band continued to practice more and more as the days went on. It seemed as if Andrew would always come up with some witty remark that would create tension between them. He always picked out their flaws.
“C’mon, Curtis. You need to finetune those skills. We have a show coming up. You always give a lackadaisical effort.”
Curtis seemed enraged by this comment but did not open his mouth, afraid of the implications that would come from any back talk. They worked tirelessly to perfect the songs for the show. Andrew marked the big day on his calendar. The band was set out to perform on January 26th, and this would be a make or break performance. The goal was to deliver an extraordinary performance that would impress the people at studios across the country, potentially eyeing a record deal.
Tickets came rolling in as fast as lightning, and were soon sold out. Samantha’s face felt tight with fear as her usual calm demeanor was replaced with a cascade of ideas. She’d fail in front of all these people. Granted, she was performing behind curtains like she always has, but her anxiety would not let her proceed. Already her heart rate was accelerating. Her thoughts tumbled as she was consumed by a worry.
Samantha’s feelings towards the show being sold out was the antithesis to how Andrew felt. Andrew was joyous and considerably excited to perform in front of a youthful and jovial crowd. This was his chance to receive an extraordinary contract from a prominent company.
The days continued to slip by and it was now the day of January 26th. Andrew expressed his excitement for the show, but as a fierce competitor, his ego shined through. “You guys better not mess this up. I need to perform well so that these companies will potentially offer me a deal. Just do your part, okay,” he demanded, raising his voice.
A couple hours leading up to the show, Samantha entered the garage biting her lip and hunched over. Samantha’s dismal expression worried the rest of the members. She stumbled upon her words and refused to look up at Andrew.
“I can’t perform today… I don’t feel well. I’m sorry I let you guys down.” Her voice was shaking with fear.
Andrew was visibly angry with Samantha, but he let his anger go. He knew that the show was about him anyway, and the absence of his pianist would not affect the performance greatly.
“I guess it’s okay. You aren’t that important to the band, anyway.”
Samantha walked away with tears streaming down her big brown eyes and was haunted by inner anxiety. She ran her fingers through her hair with hands that were shaking nervously. She wanted to burst out in tears, but did not want to be vulnerable. Andrew brought his other two members together.
“I hope you two don't leave. Let's head on over there to the stage.”
The show went on. Nobody in the crowd showed enthusiasm like they had at previous concerts. The crowd was making significantly less noise than usual, leaving Andrew confused. He wondered why all of this excitement had suddenly disappeared. What was he doing wrong?
After the concert, Andrew rushed to websites and looked at the audience’s reviews of the concert. He searched for an answer and was desperate to find one. Andrew was flabbergasted after reading one review.
This concert was completely disappointing. I had high expectations going to the concert as I know that the piano girl behind stage always delivers a mind blowing performance. A lot of my friends went to concerts in the past because of her. They say that she makes the performance 100x better, and I can definitely say that this is true. The singer was mediocre at best. The piano girl is the real star. Definitely not going back to another concert, unless she’s there.
Andrew’s heart stopped. He was frozen to his seat, his stomach twisted in knots. He couldn’t believe what he just read. All of this time he thought that the band’s success was because of him, only to find that the success was because of a girl that wasn’t even on stage. This brought him such a shock that he never recovered from it.
Following the concert, Andrew resigned and the band fell apart. Samantha was now recognized as a star pianist and went on to join another band that was much more accepting of her talents. Andrew’s blatant hate towards his band members came to bite him in the dust, as he was now roaming the streets with a completely new persona. His entire life had changed once he recognized that he wasn’t the best.
When all I had was peace with that pure bliss
A place a void could simply not replace
I did not know what there could be to miss
I wished to be alone with thoughts in space
And yet this all drowns me in the abyss
With all these mem’ries I want to erase
I wish for ways to kill this wretched curse
I search for that dull hex to be reversed
Beneath the joy the glass began to crack
And yet I see myself to be wrongful
The truths turned into lies behind my back
How my life has turned from joy to awful
Consumed and painted was the sky with black
I wished that people could be more thoughtful
Endless tears fall down my face while I cry
Oh how I wish to be upon Dubai
And as I wished to fall in some despair
I helped so much and yet they disagree
My heart was calling me to be aware
Waves of anger came crashing down on me
Why must this life turn out to be unfair?
And it was all usage to a degree
I left to find some peace once and for all
So I no longer found a way to fall
It was as if this joy was now revived
Departed from the darkness and greedy,
And with such clear sky, I was so surprised
Away from the gaze of all those beady eyes,
Such pleasant kindness - it has now arrived.
I could thrive without those who are needy
And all my past mistakes could now be burned
Unexpectedly, life itself has turned