Falmouth Academy Resonance 2020-21

I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (A Musical Medley) Circa 1985

Jane’s mother had told her before she shipped out to Iraq last August that boys were fickle, and she had never believed her, until she met him. Just after her mother left and her freshman year began, he’d been there in all of his chocolate hair and lopsided smile in the corner of her chemistry class. Befriending Luca Taylor and then eventually becoming his girlfriend was the best thing that had ever happened to Jane. They’d dated all of freshman year. But then there was the end of the school year dance, when her favorite song came on and she and her best friend Micheal had gotten up to dance. She’d seen Luca watching them, she knew he hated crowds but it had been too late to stop him from leaving. She also knew his parents were going through a rough patch. She and Luca didn’t talk over the summer. And at her birthday party, where she’d purposely invited him so that he could make things up with him, he was currently avoiding her.

Piano Man began to play from the record player as Jane tried to search for familiar faces. Most of these people she didn’t know. How did they get here? The walls of her own house now filled with people seemed to crush her, making her feel small. Being 5’2” had never been Jane’s favorite feature, but it was good for maneuvering around in large crowds. Slipping easily through the mob of teenagers she came to the base of the stairs. Then someone grabbed her arm. Jenny.

“Let’s go dance,” screamed Jenny.

“No, I’m good,” she yelled back.

“Huh?” Jenny said confused, “plywood?”

Jane laughed. “No, I’m good,” she emphasized, “I wanna find Luca.”

Jenny looked disappointed, then confused. “First of all you are such a buzzkill, second of all, you know some other girl dated him over the summer right?”

“Another girl? What!?” Jane exploded.

“Take a chill pill. Her name is Augie or whatever. Hey, I think that’s her,” Jenny added, pointing to a girl leaning up against the wall next to the door.

“She is so dead,” Jane hissed. She could feel her face heating up as she stormed down the stairs, through the foyer and to a stop in front of the girl Jenny had gestured to. She looked out of place in the chaos of the party around her. In a pair of acid washed blue jeans splattered in paint, an orange sweater and her mocha hair tangled in a midnight blue bandana, she looked strangely innocent. Jane realized the girl was admiring her mom’s Led Zeppelin poster, Jane and her mom’s favorite band. She gave off an aura of calm. Like she would keep your secrets.

“Hey, Airhead,” Jane yelled, getting her attention. Her fingernails dug into her palms, forming crescents and Jane wondered if this girl could see the steam coming out of her ears. “Is your name Augie?”

“Um, yes, but I prefer Augustine, why?” she asked.

“Do you know Luca Taylor?” Jane snarled.

“Yes, I do. I’m his girlfriend,” she faltered.

Jane’s mother had told her never to swear, but she couldn’t help it. Augustine flinched.

“So he never told you about me. Where is he?” Jane spat. She was disgusted, that boy had been hers, he had told her she was the world. Now she learned that he was running around with this ditz over the summer, like she didn’t even exist.

“Um, Luca went to get me a drink. I’m sorry but who exactly are you?” Augustine asked uncertainly.

“I’m Jane, Luca’s girlfriend. Could you please show me where he went?” Jane fumed.

“Hold on, girlfriend?” Augustine said, the anger in her tone rising.

The two girls froze, brown eyes meeting blue.

“Kitchen,” Augustine raged. “He went to the kitchen.” And with that final comment the two girls began to push through the crowds of people to the kitchen.

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