Time And Time Again

2

After far too many minutes chewing on the end of his pencil, an idea finally crossed Chuck's mind.
He'd just rewrite some old songs he'd written in high school.
Even as a sophomore, he'd been a performer. It didn't last, but he enjoyed the times he'd spent performing with his little band back in Plain City.
He only two really close friends, but he loved them dearly.
There was Chester, a dreadfully skinny young man with downturned eyes and shaggy blonde hair. He most often was seen wearing a bandanna pulling back his gold locks, and a plain tank top; Maybe one with a graphic if he was feeling fancy.
And then there was his other best friend.
God, he didn't wanna think about her.
At one point she was his girlfriend; and she was absolutely beautiful; Long, smooth brown hair falling in loose curls down to the dip of her back. Soft lips and a perfectly imperfect smile. She was modest and dreamy, often dressed in a sweatshirt with a long skirt that fell below her ankles. With his custom denim jacket draped over her shoulders. He missed her a lot, not just for her beauty, but for the moments they shared.
They'd spend hours cruising the empty countryside, talking and giggling to themselves, hand in hand with the windows down. There were days they laid on her bed, planting kissed upon one another's cheeks, listening to Beatles tracks on her record player, surrounded by posters of legends like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury that hung on her wall. Her fairy lights cast a halo of warm glow upon her healthy hair.
And his parents loved her so much. More than they loved him, he felt.
But he didn't want to think about that relationship. For many, many reasons.
His fingers plunked out the chords to one of his old songs, and he sighed as the nostalgia set in.
He wondered how she felt about his fame. It must be weird for her, he thought, to hear her ex boyfriend singing on the radio or see his name on billboards and signs advertising his latest tour. He wondered if she listened to him. If she was a fan. Maybe his poster was hanging on her wall next to Kurt Cobain. Probably not, after everything that’s happened. He cringed.
Chuck's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of reporters announcing Grammy nominees on TV.
He knew he was on there, of course; Song Of The Year. But he didn’t know who he was up against, so he tuned in to listen as they ran down a list of fellow nominees
“Brax Conway...Gemma Grey... Chuck Letterman... Red Headed Stepchild”
Nice.
He was the biggest out of all of those names. He was going to win for sure, and his career would be saved.