Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[Halcyon638]

“I think I can manage,” Porter said. “Already able to jog longer than I expected.”

“Thanks, Mon,” Hadley said at her words of reassurance within the grocery store. “The same goes to you. Sounds like you might be better off.”

Hadley responded to Monica’s text with a terse: “FUCK. B rite there.”

The detective called out “Hadley?” twice, then opened the door. He reacted with understandable surprise and confusion to seeing Monica standing nearby. “Uh…hi,” he said, carrying an overnight bag. “It’s…Monica, right? The engineer?” He started toward the living room. “Where’s Hadley?”

When she filled him in on his daughter and dog’s whereabouts, he nodded and placed his backpack on the couch. She saw him glance at the closed bathroom door. “So did you guys have plans together? My trip got, uh, cut short and I thought I’d try to surprise Hads while she’s dog-sitting, but I don’t want to mess up anything you’ve got going on.”

A car with the pizza place’s logo pulled in. “They in the right place? I hope so because I’m starving.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "Hadley was talking about some of her old friends meeting some of her new ones so... pizza and cupcakes. you know. Good wholesome fun. So what happened to your trip?" She hoped beyond hope that her pushing him to investigate the disappearances hadn't cut his trip short. She went and got him a cupcake, then moved towards the door to intercept the pizza man so she could sign for it. THe pizza guy wouldn't know who she was. She'd just scribble something. She hoped Porter didn't make too much noise with the glass bottles, and frankly Knapp might be ok with them all drinking but for now she had to play it cool.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Oh…just a last minute, uh—change of plans,” Knapp said. The hesitation in his tone suggested he was trying to conceal some kind of unpleasantness. When Monica handed him a cupcake he thanked her. “You make these?”

The pizza guy handed over the food and was on his way. Frosting on his fingers, Hadley’s dad said, “Shit, I could have gotten that. My wallet’s on the table.” He grabbed a napkin and cleaned up. “So, Monica. Can I get away with stealing a slice or are you guys planning on feeding a whole crew with this? By the way, your other friend can come out. Despite what Hadley might have said, I’m generally a reasonable guy and I’m not going to grab my shotgun if there’s some guy in the bathroom like it’s the 1950s or something.”

Not long after, Monica heard an excited bark from the driveway. “Dad,” Hadley called, almost drowned out by Iggy’s vocalizations.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica handed the slice over "come on Detective Knapp. It is the age of true crime podcasts and bad vegans on netflix. Unless its like... a state secret or something you should tell us. We're probably into it." She called out "Porter! Pizza's getting cold!" She smirked at the detective and ate a cupcake "Gabi made these. I'm more of a savory kind of girl." Truth be told she ate whatever she could. She called out to Hadley "your dad was about to spill the beans on what made him cancel his trip. Come on in and hear!"

 

[Halcyon638]

The detective offered up a somewhat reserved smile. “Ha…I wish it were work-related,” he said, grabbing a plate and silently offering one to Monica.

“So, what did happen?” Hadley said.

“Let’s just say there was…a disagreement between the…person hosting and I, and we decided it was probably best for me to leave early,” he said, putting down his pizza to embrace Iggy.

“I liked Marissa,” Hadley said, a note of disappointment in her voice.

Porter emerged and gave a sheepish wave. Monica and Hadley’s phones both chimed. He had texted “Put it under some towels in the closest but don’t know what to do next.”

“Porter,” Hadley’s father said, extending his hand out for a shake. “Nice to meet you. You’ve met Iggy?”

“Yeah,” the shy freshman said as the dog ran up to him and sniffed him. “Hey, buddy." Looking at the detective, he added, "I had a golden growing up.” They had a brief conversation about where Porter was from and what he was leaning toward with his major while Hadley slipped out to the bathroom and then made her way upstairs.

The detective looked at Hadley. “Look, there’s probably a bunch of stuff I’ve got to get caught up with at the office, and I don’t want go get in your way here. Let me just get a change and I’m out of your hair.”

“Dad…” Hadley started. Turning to Monica and Porter, she said, “I haven’t even shown you guys my bedroom yet. Come on.”

Hadley shut the door behind them, and leaned up against it and The Return of the Living Dead poster that hung from it. “Shit, I don’t know what to do. We can’t have a party here and not serve alcohol, and I can’t serve alcohol if he could come back any time. What if we were to have everybody meet up at Tracks?” Seeing the blank look on their faces, she added, “It’s a club. Downtown.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica laughed "well we can head down there but its what, like ... 6? Why don't we regroup down there later like 10ish. Um.... Wait how are we gonna get in? I don't have an ID and I know for sure Gabi doesn't. It represents something of a logistical problem. If you can get us in or they just don't card or something we can do that. I'm up for whatever but.... man that sucks that your dad is a mess. I mean how does he fuck up a weekend away like.... 3 hours into the weekend? how the fuck does that shit happen? Anyway, if you can you can. I'll head home in a bit and change, let us know and if we can get in I'll wrangle Gabi and meet you down there later."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Fuck, you’re right,” Hadley said as Porter perused her bookshelves, particularly her collection of The Walking Dead graphic novels. “There’s this all ages club that I think opens around 8. It’s an…okay place. I guess I’ll just tell my NYC people to meet up here since they’re on their way and then we can all head out together a little later.” She sighed as her fingers worked furiously to send out the updated plan. “Yeah, my parents are an embarrassment. Guess who’s skipping out on Parents’ Weekend?”

“Could be worse,” Porter added. “My parents are probably going to ask you guys if you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. At least twice.” Hadley smiled.

“Shit, I didn’t know you had to go back before the thing started,” she said. “Not sure when another bus will come by. I can Venmo you money for an Uber. My dad sent me some money for dog-watching duty. Or he might be able to run you back on his way out. Porter, you're sticking around?"

"Yup," he said, paging through a copy of From Hell.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica shakes her head "I don't. If we were going somewhere we could all get in I had to go home, change into something sexier and wrangle Gabi." She was in jeans and a blue sweater, with a white t-shirt under it and a brown boot. "If we're not going somewhere we can go drinking... We might as well stay here. We can pre-game a little before we go out if your dad makes himself scarce, then we can head out no problem."

She leaned back against the wall as Porter started leafing through Hadley's stuff. "I"m fucking hungry. I'm gonna grab more food. Let's go down and eat and be social with your dad a bit. He seems alright." She was on a mission to subtly repair Hadley's relationship with her dad over the course of the year. he was a fucking mess though and that meant subtly fixing him. Still. Hadley could meet him partway.

"Come on, lets eat while the pizza is still hot. Plus your friends should be here soon."

 

[Halcyon638]

Hadley nodded. “Let’s aim for Riverside. The all ages place. You can drink there with an ID.” Looking at Monica, she noted, “I’m guessing one or six of my guy friends will be willing to buy you a drink on the sly. They’re coming in two cars so someone can swing you by your apartment on the way. You guys can head downstairs. Just going to give my friends a call.”

As they walked down the stairs, Porter said, “I…think you look really nice.”

Entering the kitchen, they found Hadley’s father trying to adjust his tie as he waited by the coffee maker. “Mr. Knapp,” Porter said.

“It’s Brendan,” he said warmly.

“Is it true you…know the vigilante?”

“Oh…yeah,” he said. As Monica went to the pizza, he said, “Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Yeah, a little bit. She just…she’s just…called me a few times to tip me off. She does all the work and I basically get to tie the ribbon on top.”

“Typical man,” Hadley said, entering the room with a smirk.

She grabbed a slice of food. “Mon, my friend Josh said it’d be no problem to drive over.” Looking at her dad, she told him, “We’re going to hang out for a little while here and then head out to Monica’s apartment afterwards.”

“Okay.” He grabbed a cup of coffee. “You all watch out for each other, okay?” The detective made his way toward the door. “Good meeting you,” he told Porter, walking toward Hadley for a hug at the same time. “Maybe I’ll see you guys at Parents’ Weekend?”

Hadley’s mouth hung open for a second ready for an immediate reply. Then, half-sighing, she said, “Yep, maybe you will. Bye, Dad.”

Not long after the detective had left, two cars pulled in sporting 6 of Hadley’s NYC friends, 2 guys and 4 girls. Most of them were attractive hipster-types. They made their way into Hadley’s house and she served them some food before Monica saw Hadley pull Porter aside and ask her to bring down some of the bottles from her bedroom closet.

“So, what’s this Riverside place like?” Josh, a burly, bearded guy who gave up an “urban lumberjack” vibe asked.

“Looking it up,” a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl named Allegra said. “It’s all ages?”

“I mean, yeah, but you can drink there and I saw a couple of good shows there,” Hadley noted.

“Hmm. Maybe we should ask our parents to pick us up after,” Allegra said with a smirk. A few of her friends responded similarly.

Hadley gave a forced smile. “Yeah, I know it’s not perfect—”

“No, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Allegra said. “Beggars and choosers and all that.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica was, truth be told, fine with not going out at all. Pizza and a few drinks and some cupcakes had really been about the speed she was looking for. Still she was game for whatever.

"thanks Porter" she nodded "But if we're in a club and its hot then the sweater is a bad idea. I'll switch into a cooler top and get a jacket. It's just a lot more versatile and comfortable, depending on what its like inside. Honestly everyone I'm fine not drinking if you guys want to drive but a couple Ubers should probably do the trick."

She texted Gabi and Nick the change of plans. "Bummer about your dad's weekend away Hadley. I was honestly up for something chill." She went over and looked at the stereo "wow your dad still like... owns CDs. Like... even recent stuff. I didn't know you could still get music on CD."

She threw on some Airborne Toxic Event and mixed herself a little drink, then settled in.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Wow,” Josh said, kneeling down and going through the detective’s CD collection. “10 bucks he still has some VHS tapes somewhere in this house. A Creed CD?” He held it up with a disbelieving grin on his face. “Your dad likes his U2.”

“Well, he’s kinda Irish,” Hadley noted.

“Aww, are we not going to get to say hi to him this weekend?” Macy, another of Hadley’s friends asked.

Gabi texted Monica: "I'm going to get a ride from Cristina so I'll meet you at the club. See you soon!"

“Keep it in your pants, Macy,” Allegra said. As the group settled in, Allegra turned her attentions to Monica and Porter. “So, where are you two from?”

“Um…I’m from here,” Porter said.

“Huh,” she responded, sounding slightly bored. “Anything we should check out while we’re in town?”

“Oh. Um…I don’t really…get out all that much.”

“A guy like you?” Allegra said in mock surprise.

“Al,” Josh said to her, handing her a drink. “Be nice.”

“I am nice.”

Josh turned to Monica now. “So, what are you majoring in?”

“Beside blondeness,” Allegra chimed in, an undercurrent of snark to her tone. When Hadley gave her a look, the raven-haired girl said, “Just kidding. I love your hair.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica looked over at the girl "Engineering and Materials Science. What do you do... besides provide persistent 24 hour non drowsy allergy relief?" She didn't like this girl, but she had to keep her cuts to a minimum, even if she wanted to just straight up refer to her as Zyrtac or Benedryl or something. If she wasn't nicer to Porter she would. Poor girl probably had heard that 1000 times before, since she shared a name with a common drug.. but fuck her. She was not a nice person.

She poured herself a drink, and when Gabi said she'd meet them there she hmmmed and reconsidered heading home. She could always take her sweater off in the club. She didn't need to dress to catch a man because she had Austin... still with less frequency but.. there had been a few fun mornings lately and she wasn't in a rush to replace her adonis with something of lower quality. "Gabi and Christina are gonna meet us there, so we can just go over whenever Hadley."

 

[Halcyon638]

Allegra gave a barely imperceptible eye roll at Monica’s response. “Ooh, I like her,” she said to Hadley flatly. “I take photographs. Nothing serious or important like you and Hads," Allegra noted, giving the word "serious" a slightly pompous intonation.

“I wish I was good at math and science,” Josh offered. “That sounds intense.”

Hadley seemed relieved when Monica informed her about the plan. “Awesome. We should probably head over soon.”

“Sure,” Allegra stated. “How bad could it be?”

Soon, they were headed over. Monica and Porter went with Josh and Macy, who seemed comparatively chill. “It’s so cool that you guys have your own superhero,” Macy mused, lighting up a joint and offering it to Monica and Porter. “I mean, it sucks that the crime is so bad, but…it’s, like, so…gritty and real, you know? It’s not like this tourist playground like the City.”

When they finally reached Riverside, there were no bands playing yet. Some of the patrons were dancing to the piped in music, some lingered near the bar, and others were sitting at the handful of tables. “There,” Hadley pointed.

Monica spotted Nick, Layla, and Gabi. It almost took her a moment to recognize her roommate. Her hair was carefully styled in an updo, the first time she’d had her hair up in anything other than a simple ponytail since graduation. She was wearing a gorgeous rose-colored dress that was equal parts elegant and sexy. Dresses (including some more revealing dresses) were a part if an uncommon part of Gabi’s rotation, but Monica hadn’t seen this one before, and between the article of clothing, her hair, and her makeup, it seemed like a new-ish look.

 

[siobhancan99]

"I'm sure whatever you do, I'd be bad at it. My mother was an art teacher but I never had the eye, for instance. Too much of my father in me. Too literal."

Monica waved off the offered joint. She'd vaped a few times with Tom but at the end of the day it just wasn't for her. She nodded to Porter as he took a hit and passed it back up front.

When they got into the club, her eyes settled on her roommate. Her stunning roommate. Gabi had gone from "pretty on the inside" to "gorgeous on the outside" over the past year and she was beyond pretty. Monica tugged on her sweater and looked down at it, feeling shabby in comparison. It was a role reversal for sure. In high-school she'd had that blond All-American girl look down pat. Casual-hot had been her sort of thing. Gabi made her feel like the ugly duckling all of a sudden. She tamped down a tiny bit of jealousy and walked over, putting her hand on the small of her back "You look AMAZING" she said into her friend's ear, over the din of the music "Is this new? it fits you so well. God you look so fucking good in it. Every eye in the place is going to be on you tonight."

She was genuinely happy Gabi was coming out of her shell a bit. "Really you just look so good."

 

[Halcyon638]

“I’ve never gotten high before,” Porter said quietly to Monica as they approached the club. “It feels…okay?’ he added with a grin.

Gabi smiled demurely. “You always say the sweetest things, carino,” she said into Monica’s ear, the subtle scent of her strawberry-kiwi body spray lingering in her nostrils. “Yup, it’s new. I picked up a few things downtown yesterday. It’s a little cold, though.”

When Monica remarked on the looks her friend would no doubt garner, Gabi again flashed a shy grin. “I’m sure somebody will be able to spare a glance at the hot blonde,” she noted. With a winking tone, she said, “I know I will.”

“Wow, Gabi,” Hadley said. “It’s freaking unfair how good you look.” She introduced Gabi to her friends and a few moments later, Cristina arrived. She said hello to everybody and then began to mingle with Layla and Nick mainly.

Hadley’s friends began slowly to migrate toward the bar or toward the dance floor. Before long, Josh, Macy, Layla, Cristina, and even Porter had made their way over. Hadley stood talking with Nick, Allegra, and a couple of other people.

“Come on!” Gabi said, grasping Monica’s hands and leading her over to the dance floor. The musical selections consisted of an eclectic mix of somewhat offbeat, danceable pop songs rather than dance music per se. As they began to dance to Sleigh Bells' "True Seekers," most of Monica and Gabi’s friends weren’t paired with a particular person but generally just moving to the sounds.

However, Gabi was staying close to Monica. “Yes! This song right here!” her friend called out as another upbeat banger of a track started up. The gorgeous Latina stood in front of her Monica as the music began to swell, then her body began to slightly sway and bounce to the music.

It would hardly be the first time they’d danced together. Gabi had never been comfortable doing the “two girls grinding on each other”-style dances that seemed mainly to attract male attention at parties, though, so it’d been chaste before. “Dance with me, carino,” Gabi said, locking eyes with her.

 

[siobhancan99]

Watching her roommate she felt torn. She felt like if she danced with Gabi she'd just fall more and more for her, and Gabi seemed interested but she wasn't so sure she was ready for that. Plus being with Gabi meant telling her.... everything. It meant making her worry when Monica went out. It meant re-examining why she was going out in the first place. It meant confronting what she got out of it other than vengeance for Tom. It meant asking herself if she wasn't really exactly like her mother. If she wasn't just an inherently violent person who was finding a constructive channel.

But... at the same time... not dancing with Gabi felt like losing an opportunity for something special. Something bigger than herself. Something beautiful. She just hoped Gabi understood she wasn't quite ready yet. Honestly she hoped she wasn't deluding herself about Gabi's interest. She didn't think she was but it was... losing Gabi over pushing something that wasn't there was worse than rushing it. She swallowed and moved in, trying to appear casual about it. Her hands slid to Gabi's more generous hips, keeping herself at a respectable if not quite as respectable as usual distance. She smiled at her friend. Her best friend. All that she had left really. "College seems to have been really good for you."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi smiled back at Monica. “It has its moments,” she said, placing a warm hand atop the left hand Monica had placed on her hips. The tempo of the music began to pick up. It was more of a party anthem than anything particularly sexy, more energetic than slinky. Gabi’s movements responded accordingly, not comparable to the kind of show Monica had seen her put on for Shaun at the ‘90s party. Still, at a certain moment, the dark-haired girl had her arms draped over Monica’s shoulders, less than a foot separating their lips, before Gabi spun around again.

Then Gabi was undulating just in front of her. She reached back and took Monica’s hand, then placed it just above her navel. Through the thin fabric of the dress, Monica could feel Gabi’s taut stomach as she swayed to the outro of the song. As the music ended, Gabi turned to face Monica again. “Hey!” she said suddenly, waving past Monica. Giving her friend’s hand a quick squeeze she said, “I’m going to go say hi to Ian.”

Gabi went off across the room where Ian stood with a group of one woman and three other guys, one of whom Monica vaguely remembered as his friend from high school. Elsewhere, Hadley, Nick and Allegra seemed to actually be laughing together still just shooting the shit, while Porter was off to the side catching his breath after putting quite a bit of effort into dancing.

 

[siobhancan99]

Her hand moved of their own accord, though she kept it PG. This was her best friend and well... There was some implied interest there but until it was express she wasn't going to risk it being weird. She had to live with Gabi the rest of the year at the very least. Still, she felt good. She felt wanted and Gabi always made her feel loved. That made her feel relaxed. She watched as Gabi slipped over to talk to Ian and her face clouded over. Fucking huge city and somehow that guy was here... with her luck his shitty band was probably playing. Still, Gabi liked him and she had to not make a fuss about it.

She wandered up to the bar and ordered a coke, and got a water for Porter. She ambled back over, eyes back on Gabi as she chatted animatedly with the high school people. She might have liked to go talk to them to but she knew Ian would shrink away and she'd make it weird, so instead she just handed Porter his water "How you doing anyway?" she asked as her eyes drifted around the crowd.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Well, to honest, from hiding booze from my friend’s cop dad to using drugs for the first time, it’s been kind of a day,” Porter noted. “Still, I think I’m okay. Hell hasn’t swallowed me up like my parents promised it would. How are you? You guys looked like you were...um...having fun.”

Gabi, Ian, and his friends laughed freely across the room as they chatted for a little while. At one point, Ian noticed Monica across the room. He gave a nod of the head and a slightly mechanical wave, then looked back at his friend. Gabi was on her way back over.

Hadley’s friend, Josh, made his way over to Monica. “So, Hadley said you’re into film. See anything good lately? Can I get you a drink or anything?” Porter pulled out his phone and started scrolling as Gabi arrived.

“I’m not done with you yet,” Gabi said, extending an arm toward Monica. “Ian said his friend’s band goes on in about 10 minutes so we’ve got a little time for some more dancing.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nods to Porter "dancing with Gabi is fun." She leaves it noncommittal. "It's nice not having any pressure to be sexy and just you know... dance." She nodded and sipped at her water. She smiled at Josh "nice of you to offer but I think I'm gonna stick with water tonight." Something, probably paranoia, said it was better in a strange place around strange people to just get her own water at the bar and be responsible for her own drink. She just felt like she shouldn't be off her game for some reason. "as for what I've watched recently, I just watched 'The Witch' and 'the Apostle' which is amazing. Super atmospheric, and a fucked up turn from the guy from Downton Abbey. I'm gonna watch 'Ace in the hole' this weekend for my film class. I saw Cyrano a few weeks ago with my..." she hmmmed... 'fuckpiece' was a little cold. She liked Austin a lot. If things were different he'd be boyfriend for sure. "My uh, gentleman friend."

When Gabi came back over she laughed "better get in your dancing now, because if Ian's band is going on he's going to fuck your ears with noise and the kind of anger you can only summon up if you're a white suburbanite." She laughed "So there will be no dancing." She let Gabi tug her out onto the floor slipping in behind her after, resting her hands on her hips "How's everyone from home?" she asked, leaning in to be heard over the music.

 

[Halcyon638]

Josh nodded, “Nice—Dan Stevens, right? The Downton Abbey guy? I still have to check out that movie. He was great in that movie The Guest, too,” he said, taking a swig of beer. “It’s got an awesome retro synth score if you’re into that kind of thing.”

“Sorrrry, guys. She’s mine tonight,” Gabi said to Josh and Porter as she tugged Monica away, smiling coyly. “Yeah, it’s his friends’ band but I figure same diff. They’re doing pretty well. They asked about you. You should go say hi to Caleb and Trey at least.” She gave Monica’s hand a warm squeeze as it rested on the brunette’s hips. “After…”

The music ramped up once more and the two roommates resumed dancing, and Monica started to get warmer and warmer in her outfit. The last song that played was a slower, more sensual track, and Gabi adjusted her movements accordingly, though she was wearing a joyous smile through most of it, as if to suggest none of it should be taken too seriously. At one point, she was positioned facing away from Monica and slithered downward, her ass brushing against her friend’s pelvis and thighs. When she spun back around again, Gabi noticed that Monica had, consciously or unconsciously, taken a few steps back.

“Sorry,” the dark-haired girl said into Monica’s ear. “It’s this music.” For the rest of the song, she dialed down the physicality. At the end, she was holding her friend’s hand as they walked off the dance floor and soundcheck started on stage. “That was soo fun. Did you have a good time?” She gently released Monica’s hand.

As they went to rejoin their friends, a familiar voice called, “You know, I’m still really bitter about losing 1st prize in the 6th-grade science fair to you.” It was Caleb, a short, reedy-voiced but kind guy who had been the only one of Ian’s friends who was in the same grade as Monica and Gabi. He was standing next to the woman who had been hanging out with him and his other friends earlier. One half of her scalp was shaved short while the other half was covered with locks of dark hair, and she had a stud in her nose.

Caleb threw an arm around Monica. “Good to see you! How’s matriculating?” If she recalled correctly, Caleb, who had been one of the top science students, was taking a gap year. “Eve, this is Monica.”

A glimmer of recognition appeared in Eve’s eyes. “Hey,” she said warmly. “Nice to meet you.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Nods to Josh "not really my thing, but I love Dan Stevens so I'll totally check it out."

She laughed and stepped onto the dance floor, regretting her sweater. she slipped out of it, in just her t shirt with it tied around her waist. Still hot, but not so hot it was unbearable. She moved with Gabi, losing herself in the music even if it wasn't what she would normally listen to. Dua Lipa, which was maybe a little too on the nose for the situation. Still it was great to dance a little and just let go. As Gabi apologized she waved it off "what happens on the dance floor happens, chica hermosa."

She walked off with Gabi, letting the other girl tug her over toward Ian, which was the last fucking place she wanted to be. She felt guilty, like she owed it to Tom to take care of him and mother him but at the same time she was just so fucking angry about the whole situation. "I had a good time. I mean its not line dancing but you know" She teased her friend, who despite living in east buttfuck aka Cottersville had never taken a shine to country music. To be fair neither had her father, who told her American music died with the birth of Limp Bizkit and had really been better when it was all British. Philistines the both of them.

"Well Caleb, there was a simple solution to that. You should have been smarter and more talented" Monica smirked and offered him a side hug. "Matriculation is great. Living with my best friend. Meeting hot boys both of us. Oh classes are nice too. How's your year of poncing around Europe or whatever it is wastrels do in their gap year?" She smiled over at Eve, assuming she was Caleb's girlfriend or something "Hi. Monica Bergensen. I went to high school with Caleb and Ian. Well... more Caleb." Caleb had been smarter and so was in the top track classes with her and Gabi. "I dated Ian's brother."

 

[Halcyon638]

Caleb laughed. “Glad to hear that, Mon.” Glancing at Eve, he said, “If you ever need a quadratic equation calculated, this is your woman. The gap year’s good—just got back from Prague, hitting up the Andes next week. Nah, I’ve mainly been working and volunteering and trying to learn a fourth chord.”

“You’ll get there some day,” Eve said with a smirk. She smiled at Monica. “Hey. I kinda feel like I know you already from everything I’ve heard.”

“Eve’s the talent that Ian and and I have latched onto like parasites in hopes of her catapulting us to superstardom,” Caleb said.

“By superstardom, I think he means slightly less shitty clubs,” she noted.

“You guys were really good last weekend,” Gabi said. “You can really sing!”

“Thanks,” the young woman said, taking a sip of beer. “I hear you run a pretty tight D&D campaign.” Ian made his way over, an easy smile on his face. Seemingly at the last moment, he caught sight of Monica and his lips tightened a bit.

“Monica,” he said.

“We were just talking about how I’m carrying you two guys,” Eve told him with a smile. He kept his eyes on the drink he held, which appeared to be a soda.

“That’s only mostly true,” he replied, taking a sip with his gaze directed off in the distance toward the stage.

“So, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about sound engineering, would you?” Eve asked Monica. “Or is that kind of like asking an eye doctor if they could help with a foot problem?”

 

[siobhancan99]

"Ian" Monica returned, trying to be neutral rather than frosty. She made herself smile and turned back to Eve "I'm afraid I know nothing at all about running a board. I can, in a few years, make one for you. I don't know that I'd know anything about how to use it." She laughed and shrugged, self deprecating. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings if you were looking for someone to run that and your lights." Inside she was glad she didn't. Working with Ian every weekend would let her keep an eye on him... sure... but she'd also have to see him all the time and more importantly, bands played in key crime fighting times. By the time they broke down a set it could be 2 or 3 in the morning. Balancing that against the satisfaction of destroying some poor mugger or would be rapist well..

She put her hand on the small of Gabi's back and looked back over towards Josh, wanting to maybe talk movies some more but not wanting to just run off because Ian was there. Besides for Tom's sake she had to try. Even if Tom wasn't really around to see her try. For the memory of Tom she had to do it. She shifted her attention back to Eve and Caleb "So like.. what's your sound like? I'm guessing not screeching hardcore angst if you have a good singer. Like more classic metal? like Metallica or something?"

 

[Halcyon638]

Eve nodded, “Ah, it’s cool. We just have a friend who’s trying to build a studio on the cheap and he was saying something about needing somebody who knows sound engineering. I literally know nothing about the technical stuff.”

“You did a pretty great job fixing Caleb’s amp that time,” Ian said, grinning slightly in Monica’s direction. “One of Tom’s friends put a replica sword through his amp about two hours before we were supposed to play this house party, and she got it fixed with time to spare.”

Gabi glanced at Monica briefly when she felt the blonde girl’s touch, then smiled contentedly. Eve and Caleb exchanged looks when asked about their sound. “Definitely not screeching, and the angst is mainly about social media drama or having too many streaming services to pick from,” Eve said. “Write what you know. Soundwise…? I guess, straight up the middle rock. I don’t know. I’ve been listening to a lot of Heart, Alice in Chains, and Dum Dum Girls in case that helps.”

“We’re playing at a little place near campus Thursday if you’re able to come out,” Caleb mentioned.

“Pretty sure they’ve got better things to do on a weeknight,” Ian said, glancing over at Monica. “Studying and all that.”

“From what I hear, they’re mainly in school for the hot guys,” Caleb responded. “Speaking of which, are you for real going out with Austin Whittier? If so, when are you going to get me some freaking courtside tickets?”

“Who’s Austin Whittier?” Eve asked.

"Are you serious?" Caleb replied.

Ian excused himself and slipped back into the crowd, then made his way toward one of the club’s doors.

Soon, Hadley and some of her friends started migrating over and intermingling as soundcheck for the night’s first band seemed to have hit a snag, delaying the start. Caleb and Ian’s other friend Monica knew from high school, Trey, made his way over, more than a little drunk, and greeted her warmly.