Original Fic: Soundtrack of Life
Just submitted this to my class for this week's workshop. I kinda like it. It definitely isn't as easy to write as it used to be. But this went ok I suppose.
Oh and there is a lot of music in this, but I won't point it all out because I like to think it's all pretty much self explanatory. If you really don't know just ask or google.
Soundtrack of Life
Just a small town girl
Living in a lonely world
She took the midnight train
Going anywhere
Julie got onto the freeway, mind racing, only half aware of the other cars around her. Her thoughts were all over the place making her feel dizzy. She flicked on her left turn signal and watched her side mirror for a chance to get out of the slow lane.
The slow lane. She nearly laughed; that sarcastic guttural expression. It was almost a metaphor for her life. She didn’t feel like she was going anywhere or that she ever would. Half the time couldn’t remember where she had planned to be in her life by now. Wherever it was, she wasn’t there.
Checking her blind spot she crossed into the next lane. If only it were that easy. A familiar piano beat breathed from her radio and Julie felt a little of her tension ease. She turned the volume up until she could feel the beat in her seat and smiled, though she felt the telling quiver in her chin, just below her lips, of impending emotional upheaval.
Julie shook her head, fighting back any tears as she began to sing, off key, but from the heart. She grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, gripping tightly and singing louder, feeling the weight lifting off her shoulders. It always surprised her how much one song could change her mood, lift her out of the darkness. Julie stared out at the expanse of road and felt her fingertips begin to tingle, nothing really felt as important anymore.
Don't stop believing
Hold on to the feeling
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believing
Hold on
Streetlights, people
§ § § §
Hangin' round downtown by myself
And I had so much time
To sit and think about myself
And then there she was
Like double cherry pie
Yeah there she was
Like disco superfly
When Marco got home from work he practically threw himself into the chair across the living room, flipping on the radio as he passed it. He cracked the window beside him and sunk down into the over-stuffed cushions, like a bean bag with a frame that could recline at will. He pulled out his pack of Marlboro Lights and a lighter, quickly lighting a cigarette, tossing the pack on the table, and blowing the smoke out the window.
Marco closed his eyes and listened to his neighbors in the surrounding apartments. Kids screamed from the apartment behind his, parents screaming even louder. “¡Dígame! Who did it?! You want me to get the wooden spoon?!” Dogs on an adjacent street starting barking wildly, probably at the challenging crows. So it was going to be one of those days.
He grabbed one of the remotes off the table and turned the radio up, letting it drown out the noise, of the neighbors, of the day. He let the music move through him, eyes closed, smoke passing through his lips. It was definitely going to be one of those days. And he still had to deal with Brandi later and whatever issues she decided she had today.
I smell sex and candy here
Who's that lounging in my chair
Who's that casting devious stares
In my direction
Mama this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama this surely is a dream
Dig it
§ § § §
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just praying to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while she got freedom
'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't breakeven.
Danny felt his phone vibrate in his hand, a message popping up right as he was putting the ear buds in for its mp3 player. Beers later? Brandi’s on a rampage. Danny hesitated. He’d been trying to avoid Marco, trying to avoid the drama. He relinquished. Just let me know when we’ll work something out.
He turned up the volume on his phone’s mp3 setting, walking back to his car after his last class. Danny kept his eyes down as he walked, trying to lose himself in the music. He sighed with aggravation as he brushed past the groups taking up whole sections of sidewalk as they gossiped back and forth. That was something he always liked about Sara, that she was just as irritated by them as he was.
Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. Bad form dredging up those memories. He crossed the last distance of campus finally stepping into the ocean of cars. He needed to forget Sara. It was his own fault. Hindsight… It was too late.
Maybe those beers wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Her best days will be some of my worst
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven.
§ § § §
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Sara sat on the floor, legs crossed, guitar perched in her lap. Her left hand gripped the neck, fingers pressed tight against the strings finding just the right chord. She held the purple marble pick and strummed a few times, readjusting her finger placement just slightly and slowly nodding her heard when she finally hit the right notes and found the rhythm.
David watched her, patient and uncritical. “You’re doing great.”
She’d been wanting to learn to play the guitar for years and David had made it seem so simple. “And you recognize it?”
David nodded and got behind the drums, jumping right in. A heartbeat on the snare, on the high hat. Dramatic pause. Arms crossing easily, keeping the beat going, eyes closed. Sara couldn’t help but notice how effortless he made it seem, the only thing giving him away that he bit the edge of his bottom lip.
“You gonna sing?”
Sara shook her head. “Not even.”
David smiled and recited the lyrics from memory. Like poetry.
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They're all I can see
§ § § §
You can dance-every dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye, let him hold you tight
You can smile-every smile for the man
Who held your hand beneath the pale moon light
Karen hooked her iPod up to the speaker dock on the kitchen counter, turned the volume up, and turned back to her steaming pots and pans. She stirred the pasta, keeping it from sticking, and pulled out a piece of penne, blowing on it before popping it in her mouth. Al dente. Not quite done enough for her.
Following the rhythm she danced around the kitchen island, retrieving a bottle of red wine off the dinner table. She refilled her glass and danced back to the stove, pouring a little in the tomato sauce before setting the bottle aside. She took a long drink from her glass as she stirred the sauce, hips still moving, shoulders still swaying.
Nodding in satisfaction Karen stepped back, dancing over to the iPod and turning it up for the breakdown. She raised the wooden spoon she still held after stirring the sauce, singing into it as loud as she could, stopping only when she heard the doorbell.
“Hey Julie!”
“Wine?” Julie asked with a smile, already headed for the kitchen.
“As always.”
“Hey is your coworker, Brandi, gonna make it?”
“Not tonight. Oh, but Matt said he wouldn’t miss it.”
Karen moved back to the stove, stirring everything once more. Her monthly dinner party between friends always managed to put her in a good mood. And wine and good music didn’t hurt either.
'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darling, save the last dance for me
Save the last dance, the very last dance for me
§ § § §
Oh, I don't know why you're not there
I give you my love, but you don't care
So what is right and what is wrong
Gimme a sign
Matt flicked on the radio as soon as he got out of the shower. He was still dripping as he walked across the room to the closet in search of an outfit for the evening. Throwing his towel onto the bed he moved to the music as he picked his clothes, letting it all hang out, literally and metaphorically.
He threw a shirt onto the bed next to the towel. Jeans, socks, the works. He was looking forward to Karen’s dinner party. It had become a celebration of sorts for the freedom of the single life. And after recently ending his relationship with Brian it seemed increasingly fitting.
Matt bobbed his head to the left with the music, an amused smile flashing across his face. He suddenly wished he had a tight black tee, shiny, semi-dark suit, and gold chain necklace. That would make the night so much better.
He laughed, continuing to dance as he got dressed. Still bobbing his head in the bathroom mirror after, styling his hair and throwing on a dash of cologne. He didn’t want to be late to Karen’s and now he was feeling better than ever.
What is love
baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
Oh and there is a lot of music in this, but I won't point it all out because I like to think it's all pretty much self explanatory. If you really don't know just ask or google.
Soundtrack of Life
Just a small town girl
Living in a lonely world
She took the midnight train
Going anywhere
Julie got onto the freeway, mind racing, only half aware of the other cars around her. Her thoughts were all over the place making her feel dizzy. She flicked on her left turn signal and watched her side mirror for a chance to get out of the slow lane.
The slow lane. She nearly laughed; that sarcastic guttural expression. It was almost a metaphor for her life. She didn’t feel like she was going anywhere or that she ever would. Half the time couldn’t remember where she had planned to be in her life by now. Wherever it was, she wasn’t there.
Checking her blind spot she crossed into the next lane. If only it were that easy. A familiar piano beat breathed from her radio and Julie felt a little of her tension ease. She turned the volume up until she could feel the beat in her seat and smiled, though she felt the telling quiver in her chin, just below her lips, of impending emotional upheaval.
Julie shook her head, fighting back any tears as she began to sing, off key, but from the heart. She grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, gripping tightly and singing louder, feeling the weight lifting off her shoulders. It always surprised her how much one song could change her mood, lift her out of the darkness. Julie stared out at the expanse of road and felt her fingertips begin to tingle, nothing really felt as important anymore.
Don't stop believing
Hold on to the feeling
Streetlights, people
Don't stop believing
Hold on
Streetlights, people
§ § § §
Hangin' round downtown by myself
And I had so much time
To sit and think about myself
And then there she was
Like double cherry pie
Yeah there she was
Like disco superfly
When Marco got home from work he practically threw himself into the chair across the living room, flipping on the radio as he passed it. He cracked the window beside him and sunk down into the over-stuffed cushions, like a bean bag with a frame that could recline at will. He pulled out his pack of Marlboro Lights and a lighter, quickly lighting a cigarette, tossing the pack on the table, and blowing the smoke out the window.
Marco closed his eyes and listened to his neighbors in the surrounding apartments. Kids screamed from the apartment behind his, parents screaming even louder. “¡Dígame! Who did it?! You want me to get the wooden spoon?!” Dogs on an adjacent street starting barking wildly, probably at the challenging crows. So it was going to be one of those days.
He grabbed one of the remotes off the table and turned the radio up, letting it drown out the noise, of the neighbors, of the day. He let the music move through him, eyes closed, smoke passing through his lips. It was definitely going to be one of those days. And he still had to deal with Brandi later and whatever issues she decided she had today.
I smell sex and candy here
Who's that lounging in my chair
Who's that casting devious stares
In my direction
Mama this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama this surely is a dream
Dig it
§ § § §
I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just praying to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while she got freedom
'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't breakeven.
Danny felt his phone vibrate in his hand, a message popping up right as he was putting the ear buds in for its mp3 player. Beers later? Brandi’s on a rampage. Danny hesitated. He’d been trying to avoid Marco, trying to avoid the drama. He relinquished. Just let me know when we’ll work something out.
He turned up the volume on his phone’s mp3 setting, walking back to his car after his last class. Danny kept his eyes down as he walked, trying to lose himself in the music. He sighed with aggravation as he brushed past the groups taking up whole sections of sidewalk as they gossiped back and forth. That was something he always liked about Sara, that she was just as irritated by them as he was.
Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. Bad form dredging up those memories. He crossed the last distance of campus finally stepping into the ocean of cars. He needed to forget Sara. It was his own fault. Hindsight… It was too late.
Maybe those beers wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Her best days will be some of my worst
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven.
§ § § §
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Sara sat on the floor, legs crossed, guitar perched in her lap. Her left hand gripped the neck, fingers pressed tight against the strings finding just the right chord. She held the purple marble pick and strummed a few times, readjusting her finger placement just slightly and slowly nodding her heard when she finally hit the right notes and found the rhythm.
David watched her, patient and uncritical. “You’re doing great.”
She’d been wanting to learn to play the guitar for years and David had made it seem so simple. “And you recognize it?”
David nodded and got behind the drums, jumping right in. A heartbeat on the snare, on the high hat. Dramatic pause. Arms crossing easily, keeping the beat going, eyes closed. Sara couldn’t help but notice how effortless he made it seem, the only thing giving him away that he bit the edge of his bottom lip.
“You gonna sing?”
Sara shook her head. “Not even.”
David smiled and recited the lyrics from memory. Like poetry.
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They're all I can see
§ § § §
You can dance-every dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye, let him hold you tight
You can smile-every smile for the man
Who held your hand beneath the pale moon light
Karen hooked her iPod up to the speaker dock on the kitchen counter, turned the volume up, and turned back to her steaming pots and pans. She stirred the pasta, keeping it from sticking, and pulled out a piece of penne, blowing on it before popping it in her mouth. Al dente. Not quite done enough for her.
Following the rhythm she danced around the kitchen island, retrieving a bottle of red wine off the dinner table. She refilled her glass and danced back to the stove, pouring a little in the tomato sauce before setting the bottle aside. She took a long drink from her glass as she stirred the sauce, hips still moving, shoulders still swaying.
Nodding in satisfaction Karen stepped back, dancing over to the iPod and turning it up for the breakdown. She raised the wooden spoon she still held after stirring the sauce, singing into it as loud as she could, stopping only when she heard the doorbell.
“Hey Julie!”
“Wine?” Julie asked with a smile, already headed for the kitchen.
“As always.”
“Hey is your coworker, Brandi, gonna make it?”
“Not tonight. Oh, but Matt said he wouldn’t miss it.”
Karen moved back to the stove, stirring everything once more. Her monthly dinner party between friends always managed to put her in a good mood. And wine and good music didn’t hurt either.
'Cause don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darling, save the last dance for me
Save the last dance, the very last dance for me
§ § § §
Oh, I don't know why you're not there
I give you my love, but you don't care
So what is right and what is wrong
Gimme a sign
Matt flicked on the radio as soon as he got out of the shower. He was still dripping as he walked across the room to the closet in search of an outfit for the evening. Throwing his towel onto the bed he moved to the music as he picked his clothes, letting it all hang out, literally and metaphorically.
He threw a shirt onto the bed next to the towel. Jeans, socks, the works. He was looking forward to Karen’s dinner party. It had become a celebration of sorts for the freedom of the single life. And after recently ending his relationship with Brian it seemed increasingly fitting.
Matt bobbed his head to the left with the music, an amused smile flashing across his face. He suddenly wished he had a tight black tee, shiny, semi-dark suit, and gold chain necklace. That would make the night so much better.
He laughed, continuing to dance as he got dressed. Still bobbing his head in the bathroom mirror after, styling his hair and throwing on a dash of cologne. He didn’t want to be late to Karen’s and now he was feeling better than ever.
What is love
baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more