Avery's Desire Pt. 09

Rick and Trash were discussing the upcoming battle of the bands, the previous incident completely forgotten by them. Avery however had his eyes fixed on Kat. He was watching her closely, glaring at her. The boundaries he set were clearly defined by the look in his eyes, Rick was off limits. Kat understood without question, and she respected that Rick belonged to Avery; if anyone dared to cross that line, she knew there would be hell to pay.

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Kat soon discovered that while Avery had an affinity for playing Asendin covers, most of the songs that Desire actually preformed were written by Trash. This surprised her a little because the songs he wrote were actually really good. Kat's first impression of Trash was that he was a brainless drummer with a love for booze and women, but no passion when it came to anything else. This assumption was a mistake on her part as she slowly became aware of another side of Trash, a side that she had all but over looked on their first meeting.

Trash did have a real passion for his music and while many of his songs were pretty hard, he did have a softer side that produced quite a few love ballads. Kat liked those songs in particular. They were well written, poignant, and filled with emotion. They also had a unique quality about them that made them stand out from similar songs that she'd heard in the past. What really brought his songs to life though was Avery. The way he sang them, the kind of passion he put into the words he was singing was breathtaking.

Kat wondered if maybe she had misjudged him after all because the young man that she heard singing wasn't the lazy and undisciplined boy that she had first met. The young man that was singing now was totally different. He was beautiful, almost magical, and his voice was outstanding. When Avery preformed, he owned the stage. It was as if the music itself flowed through him and out of him through his singing. The way he moved and swayed to the music was just as captivating as the way he sang the lyrics. He didn't just sing, he made love to the music. He possessed it, and it possessed him.

It was no wonder to Kat now why Avery was the front man of the band. He could pull in the audience with his air of mystery and sex appeal. He made them feel as though they were a part of the performance, he made them feel the music as intimately as he did, and he made them love him. She understood how aptly named the band was and why they chose to call themselves desire. That's exactly what Avery invoked in his audience when he sang to them. Watching him sing now was hypnotic even to Kat. Avery wasn't just some singer in a garage band, he was a Rock Star, and what's more, he knew it.

Even though she wasn't ready to admit it, Kat was starting to develop a new found respect for the members of Desire. Rick was right when he told her that she wasn't one of them yet. She could see that clearly. There was a bond between the three men that went far beyond just being band mates. They were, honestly, like a family.

Boomer wasn't a member of the band but he was part of that family none the less. He stood above the others, watching over them like a father watching over his children. Kat was a little envious of them. She'd never experienced the kind of togetherness that Desire had, and she'd never really had a father figure in her life.

Ever since she was a kid she'd pretty much been alone. Her mom worked two jobs just to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. She had no other siblings and she never really spoke to her mother's relatives. She knew that part of her attitude was because of how she was raised. She knew her mother loved her, but she always kept her at a distance, and they never really formed the mother-child bond that most did.

Kat couldn't understand at first why her mother was always so cold, or so angry. Not only did she push her daughter away, but she also pushed the rest of the world away. Kat was in her late teens when she finally discovered the reason behind her mother's apparent need to alienate herself from everyone, and it broke her heart. It was no wonder to her that there was such a rift between them, or that her mother had a hard time looking her in the eyes. Kat was just a constant reminder of the pain and humiliation that her mother had suffered at the hands of a cruel and violent stranger.

Kat pushed the thoughts and memories of her past from her mind and focused her attention on the future. She hadn't seen or heard from her mother in three years, and she didn't want to start thinking about her now. It had been Kat's own choice to leave. The circumstances of her birth had come as quite a shock to her but more than that, she realized that her presence in her mother's life had done nothing but cause her pain. The poor woman had suffered enough and Kat didn't want to be responsible for causing her any further anguish.

Despite being alone for much of her life, Kat found herself longing for the kind of relationship that these guys had. It was inspiring to see how they supported each other. 'Maybe being a part of something like this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.' She thought. 'They seem happy...' Happy wasn't a word she used that often as it had very little meaning to her anymore. She'd given up on happiness a long time ago, she didn't deserve to be happy, she didn't even deserve to be born, yet here she was. It didn't matter to her though really. How could she ever expect to find happiness when her entire existence was nothing more than a mistake to begin with?

The music stopped abruptly. Avery switched off the microphone and all eyes were now diverted to the door that led into the bar. All four members were present, so it was a bit of a surprise when the door slowly opened and Boomer poked his head inside.

"I'm not interrupting you am I?" He asked.

'Yes!' Kat thought. She was about to complain but thought better of it when she noticed the others shaking their heads and assuring Boomer that it was cool. Apparently she still had a lot to learn, but she would get it, slowly but surely.

"What's up, Boom?" Trash asked him.

"Well, I wanted to talk you bo...umm...all...about something." He pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked into the room, but he wasn't alone. Behind him was a younger man, probably in his early thirties, and he was carrying a guitar case. Kat's heart leapt into her throat; what the hell was this? Were they planning to replace her already?

The guy walked in and sat the case on the floor then leaned against the wall with one leg propped up behind him. He popped a smoke into his mouth and lit it, taking a hit off it as he looked around the room. A slight smirk played across his face as he casually shook his head, chuckling a bit to himself. All four band members were thinking the same thing, who was this guy, and why did Boomer bring him there in the first place?

"Guys, and lady, this is my son Cole." Cole gave a quick salute to the others as Boomer went around the room introducing him to each of them. A mixture of confusion and awe swept over the group. Kat knew nothing about him but the same couldn't be said for the others. The boys had definitely heard of him and they honestly were shocked that he was there. Cole had been the bass guitarist for a grunge band called 'Prodigy Crisis' in the early to mid nineties.

They never really made it big, but they were infamous in certain circles, having a rather huge underground following. They eventually disbanded after most of the members got married and started their families, but for the younger generation just starting out, Prodigy Crisis became something of a legend. Now, standing before them, was Cole Rhoads himself; stage name Thor, God of thunder. Trash's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, his eyes were glued to the man standing before them. It was more than a little obvious that he idolized the guy.

Cole wasn't a big guy; he stood about six foot one, give or take an inch, and he was slender, but not too thin. He had a bit of a gut that came with age or too much beer, but it didn't look bad on him because he was still pretty fit. When he was in his twenties, his hair had been nearly to his ass. That was common back then because a lot of those guys tried to emulate the old 'hair-band' styles. Currently though his hair was shorter, cropped in back and barely brushing the nape of his neck with the sides slightly longer, mostly covering his ears. His bangs were brushed to the side but they completely covered his forehead and shadowed his eyes.

His hair was medium brown with copper highlights which really made his hazel eyes stand out. There was a hint of beard on his face and along with his mussed up style of hair, it made him look like he'd just come from a night of heavy partying. His clothing wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just a pair of faded, light blue, denim slacks, a black T-shirt with a skull, and two revolvers on it—depicting an old eighties band— and a pair of tan work boots. The most impressive thing about his look though were the tats that ran up and down both of his muscle bound arms, they looked badass.

Cole casually brushed his hair out of his eyes, then pushed himself off the wall and walked around the room giving everyone the once over. He stopped in front of Avery, looked him over briefly, and then smiled. "You got a lot of heart kid." He said to him, speaking for the first time. "Your voice is phenomenal, the music rocks, and each of you plays exceptionally well but it's not enough if you really want to win this thing."

They all looked at each other though none of them could really speak. Even Kat, who knew nothing of this guy, knew enough to keep her mouth shut. She could tell just by the expression of the others that they were in the presence a wiser and more seasoned musician who had far more experience in these matters than any of them had put together.

Cole snuffed his cigarette out in a nearby ash tray then addressed the band again. "While me and my pops were outside listening to you play we noticed something important. Your music has no depth. Sure you have a good lyricist and a strong vocalist, you got the rhythm, beat, and the melody, but you need harmony. I'm not saying you don't sound great together because you do, but there's nothing to tie you all together. That's where the bass comes in. It lays a foundation for all the other instruments to build upon and creates a perfect harmony."

He walked over to the guitar case he'd brought in with him earlier, picked it up, and sat it on the table. Resting his arm on the case, he looked again to the others. "Now, you can go on stage and play as you are, and you'll be good, but you won't be great. I'm not telling you this to piss any of you off, and I'm not here to scrutinize. If I didn't think you had potential, I wouldn't even waste my time with you. The fact is though, me and the old man both think you kids got something special, something that's worth building on, and perfecting.

If you really want to win, you need a bass player. There is no way in hell that you can compete against all those other bands without one. That's why I'm here. Me and my dad talked it over and if you're serious about this, and you want my help, I'll enter the contest with you and be your bassist. Talk it over with each other and let me know. Don't screw around too long though because before we can even enter the contest, we need to create a demo CD to submit to the parks committee, and times running out."

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"So, whadda'ya think?" Trash was beaming. His wide smile stretched across his face from ear to ear. His eyes were bright and reflected his feelings about the situation as he stared at his companions with the excitement of a teenage girl on prom night. "It's awesome right? I mean, come on, it's Cole fucking Rhoads!"

Rick rubbed his chin as he thought about it. "I don't know man, I'm still in shock. This is just...I don't even know what to say." Rick laughed out loud. "I'm speechless."

"Okay, I'm lost here." The three guys turned and looked at Kat as she spoke. "Who is this guy? I get from your reactions that he's some big deal, but I've honestly never heard of him before."

"He's not just some big deal." Avery told her. "He's Cole Rhoads. The dude could pick up a guitar and strum a few chords and all the girls in the room would wet their panties. He didn't just play the thing; he made sweet passionate love to it. He's the only man I know of that can give an electric guitar an orgasm."

"So he can play bass." Kat shrugged. "There are literally hundreds of people that can play bass. What makes him different from all the rest?"

A look of amusement passed between the three men. Trash leaned back in his chair, resting his arms behind his head and chuckled. "In his day, Cole was a God. When he played, the heavens cried. That's why his groupies nick named him Thor. But it wasn't just his raw talent or his sex appeal— and trust me— he had plenty of both, it was how he'd walk out on that stage and dominate it.

Most bassist's kind of blend into the back ground; they're usually the most under-appreciated and overlooked member of the band. Everyone's eyes are always on the singer or the lead guitarist, but it wasn't like that for Cole. He walked out on that stage and he owned it. He would stand neck to neck with the singer and just pound the shit out of that guitar to the point you swore you could almost hear it crying.

When Cole plucked those four strings, sounds came out of his guitar that weren't even humanly possible. It's like he and the guitar were one, like part of his soul was embedded deep within the very instrument he played. He'd look into your eyes and capture your soul too. He controlled the audience, possessed them. He could make them feel whatever he wanted them to feel, even rouse emotions in them that they didn't even know that had, he was that damn good."

Kat narrowed her eyes as she stared at the guys skeptically. "If he's that great, why didn't he ever make it big? Why suddenly quit when he could have pursued his career and been rich and famous?"

"Some shit went down in his family, bad shit. He was really messed up for awhile, so was Boomer." Rick lit a cigarette then propped his elbow up on the table and sighed as he answered Kat's question. "Cole started drinking really heavy; he was depressed, and started missing gigs. His dad found out that he'd gotten into doing drugs too, nothing really hard core I don't think, but it was enough that it was affecting him at home and in the band.

Finally Boomer made him go into rehab to get clean. After that his girlfriend found out she was pregnant so they got married, and he quit the band so he could focus on his family. The band broke up shortly after, but there are still people who are hard core fans. When they hear about his grand come back, his old groupies will start crawling out of the woodwork. Man it's going to be fucking spectacular!"

"So, does this mean we're all in agreement?" Rick glanced at each of the band members. "Are we going to let Cole help us out?"

"Hell yeah!" Trash beat his fist on the table, "We'd be idiots to say no to him! Besides that, he's right, without him we ain't got a snow ball's chance in hell of winning."

Rick looked at Avery. "How about you Ave, are you in agreement?"

Avery nodded. "Yeah I think it's a really good idea. We could definitely use the help and the music would sound better with a bassist. Plus, for an old dude he's kinda hot." Avery looked down and smiled some as his cheeks flushed rosy pink.

Rick raised an eye brow as he glared at him. "Really?"

Avery looked up, a bit surprised by the look on Rick's face. "Um...I mean...you know, so there should be a lot of older women that will want to see him play."

Trash snickered. "Good save baby boy."

Avery leaned over and put his head on Rick's shoulder. "He ain't anywhere near as hot as you though, you know that."

"Uh huh." Rick rolled his eyes then grinned. He put an arm around Avery's shoulders and pulled the boy against him, kissing him lightly on the head. He looked at Kat lastly. "What do you think?" He asked her.

Kat looked shocked. Was he actually asking her for her opinion? She shrugged a bit. "It's really up to you three." She said.

"Hey you wanna be a part of this band too? Step up to the plate. We all agree or it's a no go."

Avery and Trash both looked at her smiled, obviously in agreement with what Rick had just said. She wasn't really sure how to react. She hadn't really felt like part of the band up until that moment. As Rick had painfully pointed out when they first met, she was just a guitarist for hire and nothing more. But now, she was being included. Her opinion mattered and the other guys in the band were looking at her to make the final decision.

Something had definitely changed between them all.

The animosity that she'd previously felt was gone now and they almost seemed to be in some type of harmony with each other. That was what Cole was talking about earlier though wasn't it? Being in harmony? It was more than just listening to the others play and trying to keep up with them. It was about the attitude of the entire band. How they fit in and related to each other. There had to be some form of balance there or they would never make it.

Yeah, they needed a good, solid, strong foundation with which to build on, something that tied them all together. Kat never got that before. She had always distanced herself from everyone else and never really felt that she was a part of anything. That's why so many of her relationships in the past had failed, and why she always felt so alone. She wasn't alone now though, these guys were trying to find a place for her in their world.

They wanted her to fit in and be a part of things.

They wanted her to realize that her thoughts and opinions mattered, and whether she was ready to admit it or not, she wanted that too. Kat was tired of always being alone. She wanted friends, and she wanted a family. She knew she had a long way to go, she'd been the queen bitch for far too long, but at least she was willing to try. And, if the guys were willing to meet her half way, that's all the incentive she needed.

Kat nodded. "Yeah..." She told them. "I'm with you on this. It's a great idea and we can definitely use the help." She smiled inside. She felt good about herself. They were on the road to something great, she could feel it. With Cole's help they were going turn their dreams into reality, there was absolutely nothing that would hold them back now.

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Cole might have been out of the game for a while, but he certainly hadn't lost his touch. The minute he started playing it was as if they had all suddenly been transported back ten years into the past. Trash was thirteen again watching his idol dominate the stage at the local fair grounds. He could hear the cheers from the audience and he could feel the rush of excitement that he always got when he watched Cole step out onto the stage.

Avery hadn't been around then, but he'd heard the stories and saw old videos that Boomer had recorded. He knew how good Cole was, but actually being there in person, hearing the music, and watching him play was just mesmerizing. Cole was the guy that all the aspiring musicians wanted to be. They studied him, emulated him, and worshipped him.

Coming from a classical background, Rick had never really had the chance to see Cole in his glory days, but he could appreciate his talent from an artistic view point. He'd first heard about him when he was a teen. Mike and Trash would sit around talking about Cole, about how all the girls threw themselves at him. They would remark on how cool he was, and how they were going to be just like him. Trash's goal back then (not that it's changed much over the years) was to play music, drink till he passed out, and fuck as many chicks possible.