My Musa

 It was dark and dingy inside; dust, peanut shells and food wrappers littered the floor. Despite the "NO SMOKING" sign, someone was definitely puffing it up somewhere in the building.

 The stage was small and had only a few lights pointed towards it, illuminating it.

 There was a bar towards the front of the venue, the backing lit up and full of alcohol.

 Ellie sneered at the filthy surroundings, practically gagging when her shoe stuck to a particularly sticky section of the floor.

 She carefully kicked empty fast-food cups over while Tara just bounced over them, not caring or seeming to notice they were there at all.

 It was so crowded that even the tables pushed against the sides were full.

 Tara shoved through the crowd towards the front, eager to see Nate.

 The band was already set up and were discussing amongst themselves some sort of topic that Tara couldn't hear from where she was at.

 She looked around as Ellie managed to wiggle her way up with her.

 It was mostly town locals and a few who looked like they were probably students at the other universities and community colleges in the area.

 The band members moved to their respective spots and stared into the crowd, smiles on their faces.

 Nate's eyes landed on Tara and he lifted his hand to greet her, nodding slightly.

 Tara lifted her arm and waved excitedly at him, bouncing in place.

 The lights dimmed and the spotlight focused as one of the bandmates spoke into the microphone.

 "Alright. What is UP The Coaster? Are you guys ready for an awesome time tonight?"

 The crowd cheered and wooed, some people even whistled.

 "Awesome. We're going to perform our first song of the night, so enjoy the show. This is 'Musa.'"

 Nate tapped his drumsticks together to countdown their start up, then the music began.

 It was a progressive rock track mixed with funk.

 "You are my Musa

 I'll melt that stone cold heart,

 Medusa

 I won't let you freeze me too

 Oh baby my Musa

 Hiss as much as you want

 Medusa

 I'll hold you no matter what"

 Their voices were deep and rich with slight gravel that Tara knew they were adding intentionally to fit with the song.

 It was the song that Nate had shown her at lunch, that he'd created and she couldn't help but smile knowing she'd gotten to hear it in it's infancy.

 "Oh~ Oh oh~ Oh yeah~ My musa, my musa, my musa, OH~!"

 Tara squealed and covered her mouth to try and stifle it.

 'They're so good! This sounds so amazing with all the instruments and vocals put together. I can't wait to tell Nate about it afterwards!'

 They performed 6 songs, all of which got the crowd pumped and screaming.

 Everyone was dancing – even Ellie was swaying back and forth.

 Tara's forehead was damp with sweat and she'd taken her sweater off at some point during their performance, although she didn't remember when since she was so engrossed in the music.

 After the band completed their set, the crowd gave them a huge ovation. Tara raised her hand, waving at the members, screaming out their names.

 Nate stared at her and mouthed the words, 'Wait for me.'

 Tara nodded and the lights slowly came back on.

 "That was actually pretty good, thanks for kidnapping me out here tonight." Ellie said, nudging Tara gently.

 "See? I told you it would be a good time!" Tara giggled, her cheeks reddened from the heat and energy exertion.

 They headed to the bar to get some water, as people started to crowd around more, Ellie was beginning to visibly withdraw, growing quieter and quieter.

 As they stood in the corner and drank their water, a few people began to approach them.

 "Hey, I LOVE your outfit!"

 "Your earrings are really cool."

 "Where did you get that jacket?"

 Not once did they mention or acknowledge Ellie. Ellie didn't seem to care much, but Tara did, her eyes glancing over at her every so often.

 'She's wearing my dress and she looks really cute…why is no one saying anything to her?'

 She didn't notice that a frown had come over her face until a familiar sandy brown haired man approached.

 "Your face is gonna freeze like that." He said, gently flicking her forehead.

 "Ow! Hey! Stop being such a jerk, I don't even know you!" Tara commanded, rubbing her forehead.

 "What. Do you think because you're pretty you'll get special treatment from me? I treat everyone as equals." He said with a smirk.

 "I don't even know youuuuu!!!" Tara yelled, her frustration building.

 "Then allow me to introduce myself. I'm Julian." He held his hand out, waiting for her to shake it, but he was just met with her glare.

 "Oooh, touchy I see~" He cooed.

 Ellie grabbed Tara's arm and pulled her, "Tara, let's go. This guy is weird."

 As they walked away, Tara could hear him repeating her name, chills running up her spine.

 Ellie sipped more of her water and fanned herself with her hand.

 Tara leaned against the wall, checking her phone to see if Nate was finishing up soon or not.

 Suddenly, another chill ran up her spine – different than the one from Julian.

 She looked up and saw the man from earlier that was smoking outside, staring at her.

 Just then, she felt a hand pat her head and she jumped.

 She looked up to see Nate standing there.

 "You okay?"

 "Yeah, it's nothing. I just didn't expect that you would be there. I mean, I didn't notice you come up."

 Nate let out a light chuckle.

 "Do you guys want to go get something to eat with us? We're going to a burger place down the street from here."

 Tara turned to Ellie, whose stomach growled loudly.

 "Yeah, we'll come. Ellie, let's go!" She held out her hand for Ellie, who grabbed it after putting her water in her purse.

 As they left the venue and walked down the street, Tara felt off. She glanced over her shoulder to see the man outside the venue once again, watching her.