Scarlet kept her promise. She told her sister she’d be performing in her first solo when Calypso reopened to the public and showed off the dress Vanessa designed for her. It was black, decked out with rhinestones, and had a skirt, layered like rose petals, running just short of her knees. What made it extra special: thin ribbons of LED lights sewn into the fabric. The palm sized battery pack controlling them, which clipped to the dress’s belt, had switches that changed their color as well as how frequently they flashed. While Scarlet disclosed the idea Emilia had for a future twin routine, for which they would need to dye their hair to an identical auburn, she gave away no further detail regarding the show that was right around the corner.
Ruby respected this pretense of maintaining secrecy, but she’d had the pieces put together long before her sister’s return. Amber was getting what she’d always wanted— one night at Calypso without her so-called interference—and she was giving it to her. She was done with the constant bickering and decided to accept what fate had in store for her.
She’d never admit it to anyone but in times like this, Ruby was jealous of her sister. Even when they were in school, Scarlet was the one everyone wanted to hang out with. Her face was always marked with an infectious smile that drew boys and girls to her like moths to a flame. On the other end of the spectrum, Ruby carried herself with a quiet confidence but lacked her sister’s personable disposition. Working at the strip club helped liberate the extrovert that slept below the surface. In a bizarrely twisted way, the years of abuse at the hands of her father helped make up for the years Scarlet’s shadow left her lonely. Yet despite these feelings, Ruby would gladly lay down her life to ensure their father never hurt Scarlet again. She accepted her lot in life and the accompanying pain without hesitation; Scarlet suffered worse because that choice was made without her consent.
Finally, after three solid weeks of brainstorming, rehearsing and tweaking, the big night arrived. However, it came with a last-minute snag. Javier kept Scarlet in the loop about the band’s upcoming showcase for a group of top record executives. Both, as it turned out, were set for the same time slot on the same night and neither could be rescheduled. The executives had an opening in their schedule that night and the next chance they’d be available was long after the end of the summer season. Amber was adamant that their show had to be on the date she’d chosen months earlier; the reasoning behind it, she disclosed to no one.
After Scarlet finished explaining her dilemma, Amber pleasantly surprised her with her response. “Go to the showcase and support your boyfriend.”
“But…”
“We can handle things here no problem. And if it ends early, you can always swing by just in time for a last-minute encore.”
“Really?” She blushed. Overwhelmed, she hugged Amber with a resounding “thank you!”
Scarlet spent so much time trapped in indecision over what to wear that she arrived at the showcase a few minutes late. All of the tables were pushed against the walls by the entrance. The only three chairs left on the floor were in a row five feet away from the stage. The two executives, both men in their mid-50s, sat at either side of La Scala’s owner.
Scarlet deduced that she’d missed the introductions and the band was midway through the first song. She kept her footfalls soft as she occupied the back-right corner of the room, which happened to be the exact spot Talia stood the night of the big breakup.
Turning her attention to the activity on stage, everything appeared to be exactly as she’d left it. Javier’s sleek smile still took her breath away and his tan skin had a warm inviting glow. Juan Paulo remained a confident front man, performing one of the many songs she’d heard dozens of times. It wasn’t until the second song that things took an unsettling turn. Phrases like “I’m getting over you” and “she’s a liar” had replaced the compliments that had come to him as easily as breathing.
The final straw was the return of the song she’d heard in its beginning stages the morning after the breakup, before her nightmare drove her from Javier’s bed to Amber’s couch. Her stomach churned with the anxiety that put ice in her veins. Just as quickly, the ice dissolved as a contemptuous fury consumed her. Her vision blurred as tears formed behind her eyes. Unable to withstand much more, she wiped her face with her arm and shoved her way through the doors. She rushed over to Talia’s building, calling her sister for a quick favor on the way.
* * *
“Talia!” Scarlet pounded with rapid success. “Open up! We need to talk!” Instinctively, she grabbed the doorknob to throttle it. Quickly, she realized it was unlocked and wasted no time letting herself inside.
Talia, who jumped in response to the intrusion, sat in the middle of the sofa in the common room. On the coffee table, a freshly uncorked bottle of red wine and stem glass, filled almost to the brim, were her only company for the evening.
After taking this in, Scarlet muttered her comment with so much sarcasm that she surprised herself. Somehow, the amount of anger brewing inside her had grown so hot she’d lost all sense of discretion. “Pity party for one, huh, Talia?”
Talia squinted as if she was looking at a creature with two heads but didn’t know which one to focus on. Maintaining her stance, she took a healthy sip of wine before speaking. “I’ve been away from Calypso longer than I thought. Which one are you again? Were you the one with red highlights or the blonde highlights?”
Scarlet blushed bright red but remained firm. “It’s Scarlet. The solid hair color is just temporary. It’s for a new twin routine Emilia will be teaching us soon.”
“Emilia?” The glass in her hand shook so suddenly she lowered it to keep from spilling. Even a month later, she spoke that name with a sense of reverence.
“Yeah, she had an idea for Amber’s show with a lot of costume changes. Both agreed it’d work better for us.”
Clearing her throat and running her hands down her front to compose herself, Talia turned away. She crossed her ankles at an angle leaning away from Scarlet as she sipped her wine in silence. Her lashes were highlighted with mascara and her hair had the perfect amount of curl to it, but the way she carried herself told a different story.
“Yeah, that’s right. Everyone has moved on just fine without you. JP is doing his audition for the executives tonight. He’s still hurting but at least he hasn’t given up on himself.” At the sound of his name, Talia choked on her wine and put down her glass as she coughed to clear her lungs. “I’m sure if Emilia wasn’t doing the show tonight and saw what I just came from, she’d say the same thing I’m thinking. You ruined him! You ruined him with your petty selfishness.”
Through her peripherals, Talia observed as Scarlet began pacing the room. The vigor in her stride had her convinced she’d soon burn a hole through the floor. She’d witnessed similar tirades from Amber and most recently from Vanessa, but Scarlet was the last person she imagined seeing this way.
“Want to know what the worst part about this is? What you did made me question my own judgement. I let my fears and stupid nightmares get between me and Javi. We were so happy and I finally let my guard down for him. But I’m still that frightened girl that ran out of their father’s house at 15.”
Scarlet reached down and inhaled the remaining contents of the lone wine glass. “I don’t know why I even came here to tell you all this. Amber’s show is tonight. Her and Emilia and Vanessa are waiting for me and I’m not about to let them down like…” Suddenly, Scarlet’s stomach gurgled in response to the wine and she reached her mouth in what felt like slow motion. “Oh god…”
Quickly as she could, she shuffled her ankle boots across the floor until she reached the bathroom. The next several minutes were spent hovering over the toilet bowl, purging herself of the wine and what was left of her lunch from hours earlier. As she caught her breath, Talia walked over and reached to rub her back. Scarlet jerked away. “Don’t touch me!”
“I’m sorry…” She sat down and backed away until her back rested against the bathroom wall furthest from her.
Once she regained herself, Scarlet rummaged through the vanity for a spare cup and swished some mouthwash around before spitting it into the sink. She flushed and gasped the thoughts reeling in her head into reality. “I thought all these unsettled stomach issues were just nerves… maybe I’m coming down with something.”
“It’s ok if you need to stay for a while. Nobody else will be coming. I only got the wine in case Vanessa and Emilia come back here and they want to celebrate a job well done.”
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “And Amber? She may have given herself a supporting role, but this show started with her idea.”
“You’re right.” She chuckled in spite of herself, “that will take a little getting used to. Amber being in charge of a whole production. Of course, she left Ruby out of it on purpose.”
“Well, my sister really doesn’t feel like fighting with her anymore. So many times she’d bent over backwards to get on her good side. The only thing she hadn’t tried was just staying out of her way. It may not make sense in your mind but it’s kinda freeing not trying to control everything.”
Talia nodded but added no further comment. Instead, she redirected. “How are you feeling?”
Scarlet shut her eyes, concentrating on keeping her breaths even. “As long as I can keep myself distracted, I might be able to get through this.”
“Tell me about the show. Knowing Amber, it’s sure to be a spectacle.”
“It is but in a different way from what you’re probably thinking.” Her lips curled into a smile and she recalled the production as if it was a movie playing inside her mind.
“Yeah, that’s right. Everyone has moved on just fine without you. JP is doing his audition for the executives tonight. He’s still hurting but at least he hasn’t given up on himself.” At the sound of his name, Talia choked on her wine and put down her glass as she coughed to clear her lungs. “I’m sure if Emilia wasn’t doing the show tonight and saw what I just came from, she’d say the same thing I’m thinking. You ruined him! You ruined him with your petty selfishness.”
Through her peripherals, Talia observed as Scarlet began pacing the room. The vigor in her stride had her convinced she’d soon burn a hole through the floor. She’d witnessed similar tirades from Amber and most recently from Vanessa, but Scarlet was the last person she imagined seeing this way.
“Want to know what the worst part about this is? What you did made me question my own judgement. I let my fears and stupid nightmares get between me and Javi. We were so happy and I finally let my guard down for him. But I’m still that frightened girl that ran out of their father’s house at 15.”
Scarlet reached down and inhaled the remaining contents of the lone wine glass. “I don’t know why I even came here to tell you all this. Amber’s show is tonight. Her and Emilia and Vanessa are waiting for me and I’m not about to let them down like…” Suddenly, Scarlet’s stomach gurgled in response to the wine and she reached her mouth in what felt like slow motion. “Oh god…”
Quickly as she could, she shuffled her ankle boots across the floor until she reached the bathroom. The next several minutes were spent hovering over the toilet bowl, purging herself of the wine and what was left of her lunch from hours earlier. As she caught her breath, Talia walked over and reached to rub her back. Scarlet jerked away. “Don’t touch me!”
“I’m sorry…” She sat down and backed away until her back rested against the bathroom wall furthest from her.
Once she regained herself, Scarlet rummaged through the vanity for a spare cup and swished some mouthwash around before spitting it into the sink. She flushed and gasped the thoughts reeling in her head into reality. “I thought all these unsettled stomach issues were just nerves… maybe I’m coming down with something.”
“It’s ok if you need to stay for a while. Nobody else will be coming. I only got the wine in case Vanessa and Emilia come back here and they want to celebrate a job well done.”
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “And Amber? She may have given herself a supporting role, but this show started with her idea.”
“You’re right.” She chuckled in spite of herself, “that will take a little getting used to. Amber being in charge of a whole production. Of course, she left Ruby out of it on purpose.”
“Well, my sister really doesn’t feel like fighting with her anymore. So many times she’d bent over backwards to get on her good side. The only thing she hadn’t tried was just staying out of her way. It may not make sense in your mind but it’s kinda freeing not trying to control everything.”
Talia nodded but added no further comment. Instead, she redirected. “How are you feeling?”
Scarlet shut her eyes, concentrating on keeping her breaths even. “As long as I can keep myself distracted, I might be able to get through this.”
“Tell me about the show. Knowing Amber, it’s sure to be a spectacle.”
“It is but in a different way from what you’re probably thinking.” Her lips curled into a smile and she recalled the production as if it was a movie playing inside her mind.
***
No specific songs come to mind, but the chapter title is a play on a band name. "Phantoms" is actually the album title and Acceptance was the band.
During one of my recent listens, I imagined these songs as a breakup album Juan Paulo wrote after Talia broke up with him. Just for fun. He's prolific but not at this particular level. The phrases mentioned in the band section did come from "Take Cover" and "Getting over you" but they're generic enough they could come from songs elsewhere.
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