Open Mic Night At The Indie Underground Scene

The day and classes go by quick and soon enough I find myself in I and Caitlin's dorm getting dress to go to open mic night at The Indie Underground Scene.

"I don't know if I can do this, Caitlin." I admit, biting lower lip nervously.
I am a nervous wreck and feel sweat filling my small palms already.

"It's too late to back out now. You can't live your entire life in fear, Mel.
It will be alright and we, your friends will be there cheering you on when your on up on that stage tonight." Caitlin tells me.

"Really?" I ask. "Yes. Sometimes you have to believe in yourself when nobody else does." She says, with a bright smile.

I nod, smile, and walk over to my nightstand to find an outfit for tonight. What should I wear? Something fancy or causal? Maybe a cool combination of both styles would be great, I think to myself.

I decide on a red and black plaid shirt, a small light blue denim jean jacket, tight light skinny jeans, and some red Converse.

After I fold my outfit and sit them in my neatly made up small yet comfortable bed, I grab my bathroom necessities quickly and go take a shower.

"I'll be ready after I take a quick shower." I assure Caitlin. "Okay, I'll call the gang and tell them we'll be ready in a few minutes." She says, happily.

I nod and I walk out of the dorm and into the hallway of The Dorms. I walk down to the end of the hallway towards The Co-Ed Showers but, all of sudden my bathroom necessities fall.

I kneel onto the floor and start to pick up. A door opens and the a big gush of the cold weather outside goes pass me and Goosebumps begin to form slowly all over my body.

"Do you need some help?" A smooth, calm, and soft raspy voice asks above me. Oh no, you have to kidding me, please tell me I am dreaming and that isn't Justin, I think to myself. With my head still down gathering my bathroom necessities together, I close my eyes and try to pinch myself on my arm.

Shit, this isn't a dream unfortunately, this is real, that is Justin, my I think to myself.

I lift my head up slowly to find Justin standing over me with a sympathetic small smile and one hand in his front pocket of his jeans awkwardly.

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Justin's POV.

She looks up at me with a stunned yet sad look on her beautiful face. "Do you need some help, Melissa?" I repeat my question for the second time. "Thanks, but, no thank you. I got it myself." She says. Her soft voice is laced with confidence, angry, and annoyance.

She quickly turns away from me and begin to pick up her bathroom necessities again. I ignore her and kneel down to help her pick up her stuff.

"I'm sorry, Mel. I'm sorry for what I said to last night. But, now I see that I was clearly overreacting. You screw girls all the time and you would still forgives me. So I am willing to forgive you for that Ethan situation. I'm not excepting you to accept my apology or even forgive me but, I hope you we can get back on the track and begin again. I was a jerk, an overreacting jerk at that." I apologize.

She gives me a small smile and takes a few steps closer to me, we are a few inches away from one another's face.

"I'm also sorry, Justin. I know how you felt about Ethan and I slept with him anyway, in spite of you treating me like that. I'm sorry, too. Neither one of us are innocent in this game if tug of war. But, I'm tired of hearing sorry today and right now I have to be somewhere with my friends." I say, softly.

"Ok, but maybe I could take you out to dinner tomorrow night. I mean you don't have to say yes or....no...you could....whatever...fuck..." I stutter, stupidly and nervously.

Why am I so nervous when it comes to Mel?, I ask to myself.

She giggled quietly and begins to smile brightly, at what I suspect is my constant need to stutter nervously and slowly.

"Yes. I would love to go to dinner with you tomorrow night." She giggles, softly.

"Okay, um...well, I got to get going to Jose's apartment. I'll see you later." I say, smiling and blushing uncontrollably.

"Okay, cool. Have fun." Mel says, blushing.

I wave goodbye to her and I walk back into the cold and windy night and over to the parking lot of WSU.

But, before I jump into my Honda, I turn around to find Mel staring at me with a small smile on beautiful face with hope in her dark topaz eyes.

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Mel's POV.

I watch Justin take one look at me with a wonderful grin and hops into his Honda and ride down the streets of Wisconsin from the glass rectangular shaped windows of The Dorms.

What just happened?, I ask myself.

I didn't forgive Justin, take him back, or even accept apology but, I accept offer to take me out to dinner tomorrow night.

What does that mean?, I think to myself.

Mel, you should just over-thinking about what just happened between you and Justin and just go with the flow,
My subconscious advises me.

My subconscious right and I walk away slowly from the windows and into The Co-Ed Showers.

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Once I finish taking a quick shower in The Co-Ed Showers, I go back to the dorm, dry myself and my hair off, and get dress quickly. .

I flat-iron my long dark brown hair and pull it into a high fashion high ponytail that looks a bit similar to Ariana Grande's signature hairstyle.

I put a small amount of mascara and lip gloss on before I grab my golden dorm key, iPhone, and iPod, slipping all of my must-needed items into my light brown beige leather crossbody bag.

"Are they here yet?" I ask, annoyed.
I hate to be late and I'm slightly impatient to anything no matter,
I think to myself.

"Yes, they should pulling in any minute." Caitlin tells me. Caitlin is wearing a short sleeved black V-neck shirt, dark navy blue scarf, dark blue ripped skinny and tight jeans, and a pair of black ankle high heeled boots. Her shiny and long blonde hair is put into a messy yet marvelous bun.

A horn beeps loudly outside and echoes through the hallway of The Dorms. "That must be them." I say, excitedly yet nervously. "Yea, ok wait. Tonight, don't be nervous and you just got to picture everyone naked." Caitlin says.

I cringe at the thought of seeing the crowd at The Indie Underground Scene during opening mic night naked.

Why would I want to picture them naked?, I ask myself.

"Ok, now let's go." I say, quickly.

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The drive to The Indie Underground Scene is short and my heart is beating too fast, sweat floods my forehead, I breathe fast and I am an overwhelmed nervous wreck and I am literally shaking.

"Are you ok, Mel? Your shaking like it's cold outside." Brandon asks, smiling a little bit.

"I'm okay. Just a little nervous." I admit.

"Don't be." Claire tells me, with a quick wink.

I take a deep breathe and hop of Caitlin's car quickly and into the dark night. I, Caitlin, Claire, Brandon, Cole, Bailey, and Aaron walk across the parking lot over to the front entrance of The Indie Underground Scene.

I wonder what and where Justin is at?,
I think to myself.

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Justin's POV.

I softly and quietly knock on the half-closed door of my foster dad's office.
"Come on in." My foster dad says. I twist the door knob and walk in slowly. Inside of my foster dad's office, lyes a large desk, a Apple laptop, a bookshelf full of classic novels, and a small round table.

Pictures and posters of my foster dad's glory days of his successful yet short lived basketball career fill his wall. Trophies of the basketball championships that he had won are held inside a tall wooden glass cabinet.

I have never been in here before, it's kinda cool to see all of the shit that John has accomplish in his successful short lived basketball career,
I think to myself.

John turns away from his open Apple laptop and pieces of paper of written down basketball plays to to look at me. "Hey, Justin, what's wrong?" John asks, curiously.

I sigh and take a seat in a chair beside him. "It's about Mel." I say, softly. "Are you talking about Claire's friend, Melissa Brown?" He asks, cluelessly. "Yes. Mel." I say, nodding slowly.
"I'm taking her out to dinner tomorrow night and I need some advice in order not screw up with my friend, Mel." I admit, truthfully.

I can't believe I'm actually asking my foster dad for advice,
I think to myself.

"Well, for starters, wear something nice and bring flowers but also make it romantic, too." He advises, honestly.

I nod quickly and wait for more of John's helpful advice to spill out of his
mouth.

"Wait, aren't you and Melissa friends?" John asks, with an eyebrow arched in curiously and confusion.

"Yes. Yes we are." I say, quitely.

Are we?, Am I and Mel even friends,
I think to myself.

"Friends don't take each other out on dinner dates." He tells.

I begin to chew the inside of my cheek nervously and look away from him.

"Justin, I thought you were done with this friends with benefits game between you and these young ladies." He says, disappointedly, he pinches the bridge of his narrow nose in frustration.

My foster family has watched me break hearts and leave women crying because of the game of friends with benefits I play, it has been going since my high school years.

I had stopped a couple months earlier when John had put me in basketball to distract me from my acholic and sex addiction.

But, once I saw Mel, I couldn't help myself. At all.

"Justin, well whatever you do between you and Melissa, promise me one thing, son?" He asks, slowly.

"What is that?" I ask, curiously.

"Don't break her heart, she's a good girl with a bright future ahead of her"
He says, softly

"I won't. I won't break her heart, Dad." I promise him.

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Mel's POV.

Inside of the Indie Underground Scene, it's much crowded than usual and that sight makes me even more nervous and shaky. The air smells like tobacco and peppermint.

Oh my, it's a full house in here,
I think to myself.

My subconscious is panicking and she's finding a corner in my mind to hide.

I don't blame my subconscious, I would hide too, but, this is life, this is the real world and I know i have to face the music, I think to myself.

I and my large group of friends walk straight over to the bar section. We each take a seat on the countless wooden stools. The same male bartender is back and he walks over to us.

"Welcome back, crew!" He exclaims, excitedly. "Hey, can we have a large round of beers, please?" Caitlin asks, politely.

A few minutes later, The male bartender is back with a black plastic platter of beers for I and my friends.
As Brandon begins to pass the beers out to everyone, I rudely yet unintentionally snatch the beer out of his hands and drink it down fast.

"Wow, Mel, your a fast drinker." Cole laughs, darkly. "Not really, I'm just nervous right now and I need something to give me confidence." I admit.

After another round of beers, We begin to crack jokes and laugh hesretically amongst ourselves.

"Well, let's go take our seats before the show starts." Caitlin suggests.
"Yes, let's go." Aaron agrees, happily.

We all walk away from the bar section and take our seats at a large and round light wooden table. I am no longer nervous, I feel great and much more confident than I was when I walked inside here a few hours ago.

A guy with a hat, piercings, and tattoos and wearing a black T-shirt and ripped skinny light blue jeans walks up on stage and grabs the mic.

"I'm Mike, Hey, everyone and welcome to open mic night at The Indie Underground Scene." Mike announces, happily.

Everyone cheers and claps loudly and begins to whistle.

"Today our first performer is a English major college girl with a 4.0 GPA and a powerful voice that could give Ariana Grande a run for her money. It's Melissa Brown!" Mike says, excitedly.

Oh no, I have to go up there to perform in a full house of hipsters and punks,
I think to myself.

Everyone begins softly clap, stare, point, and cheer at me as I leave my table of friends and walk up on stage awkwardly.

The light flashes on my face and I can barely see as if I'm blind but, Mike hands me the mic and I watch as Cole, Claire, and Aaron run up here. Cole takes the bass guitar, Claire reaches for the keyboard, and Aaron grabs the drums.

"Hey, everyone, I am Mel and this is Without You, a song a written for someone in my life. This is for him." I say, happily.

I take a deep breathe, close my eyes shut, and open my mouth to sing in the mic. As the bittersweet and unforgettable memories and moments of I and Justin during these last two months together fill my head slowly, I start to sing beautifully, softly, and perfect.

The wind shifts slowly and I can smell a manly kind of cologne. I open my eyes to find Justin slowly walking inside and taking a seat beside my friends. Once Justin sees my face, A sweet smiles appears on his handsome.

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Just as I begin to finish my last verse, Justin stands up from his seat and begins to clap his hands together to match the soft and sad beat and everyone joins in happily.

"That's my girl, Mel!" Justin yells, excitedly, pumps his fist in the air and points to me with a wide grin plastered on his face.

I giggle softly and I finish my last verse slowly and dramatically with a high note. Everyone stood up and gave me a standing ovation amazingly and perfectly. "Thank you, everyone. I hoped you like the song as I loved writing it alone." I say, happily.

I walk down the stage and run over to Justin quickly and jump on him fast. We begin to hug softly and he plants a kiss on my soft cheek then on my lips.
"I thought you had somewhere to be?" I ask him, curiously. "Your where I wan to be, Mel." He says, softly.

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We all walk outside over to the parking lot into the cold and windy weather, Justin grabs my wrist and pulls me to the side. He hugs me tight and he begin to kiss me softly, deeply, and sweetly under the lamp post in the cold freezing weather.

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Songs for this chapter:

Ed Sheeran: Thinking Out Loud

Taylor Swift: All Too Well

Halsey: Ghost

Ariana Grande: Just A Little But Of Your Heart