Rock Star Ch. 02

Taylor woke up feeling groggy and sore, his mom was standing next to his bed. He closed his eyes, and listened to her and the doctor discussing what he should do, and not do in the following months.

His mother noticed that he is awake, "hi darling, how are you feeling?"

His voice sounded strange to his own ears when he replied softly, "I'm fine mom, can you get me a glass of water please."

The doctor moved to the side of the bed, "Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. Miles, we will have you up and running in no time at all."

Taylor looked at him, "running?"

"Yes young man, you will never become the star athlete you once were with your damaged knees, but you will be able to run and walk normally, as soon as your leg muscles develop enough."

Taylor's eyes brightened, "how long do you reckon Sir?"

"Well that all depends on you young man, if you follow the program, in about six or seven months you can throw away those crutches, and walk normally on your own."

"Six months," Taylor replied despondently.

"Yes, about six months. The crushed bones have healed nicely, and your leg muscles will heal and build three times as quick, so a year from now, your lower body will easily match your upper body in look and strength."

Taylor's face expression became resolute, "don't worry about that Sir, I will exercise every single day."

The doctor smiled, "I know you will, just take it easy in the beginning okay."

"Sure thing Doc, I promise."

Since it was November, and with everyone studying and writing end of year exams, most of the usual student hot spots would be empty. Frank told Taylor to concentrate on his studies and getting better. Paul can play the guitar, so they could handle things without Taylor. The first month after the operation, Taylor took it easy, and kept to the doctors strict exercise routine, he had allot of studying to do so he concentrated on that.

December the campus closed, so everyone went home, and away for the holiday's. Taylor increased his exercising routine after the first month, and although it was very painful, he was determent to be off the crutches in less than six months.

The day after Christmas, he was busy exercising in the basement, when a "holy shit," behind him, made him realize that he wasn't alone. His mother and sister were visiting family in another town, leaving him on his own. He was busy on the rowing machine, his shirt off, and his upper body muscles flexing with every movement, when Jenny surprised him.

"Oh...hi Jenny, if you can just give me a moment I will be upstairs in a flash."

Jenny could not believe her eyes, the timid mouse Taylor, the man with the golden fingers that makes a guitar sing, is ripped. She enjoyed the sight of his muscles moving, as he hastily pulled a T-shirt over his head. She wanted to cry out, "no, leave the shirt," but then it was too late. He always dressed in large baggy clothes, the pants being baggy she could understand, he had to wear them to get over the leg braces, but why the large shirts. She knew he had to be strong to handle dragging his lower body around, but she never suspected that he was build this nicely. She liked the shy younger man right from the start, he is very attractive, but Laura warned her that Taylor has a very low self-esteem. To get him talking was worse than interrogating a suspect.

She knows that he was in a car accident, and that's why he is crippled, but allot of people all over the world faced the same difficulties everyday, and they rose above their disabilities. Jenny thinks it is just sad the way that he keeps on cutting himself off from the world. He is a very talented musician, but wastes it by always hiding in a corner. She loves flirting with him, trying to draw him out, but nothing penetrates the thick armor he has around him. A few girls have come up to her, asking about him, but knowing him, she told them to stop wasting their time, and go fuck someone more accessible.

Taylor worked his way up the basement stairs, and found Jenny helping herself to orange juice from the fridge. She turned around, gave him a good looking over, before asking, "You want some juice, I hope you don't mind that I helped myself?"

"Yes please," he replied, while making his way to the other side of the kitchen counter, so that she could not see his legs.

Jenny watched in fascination as the muscles on his arms moved, while he maneuvered himself to the other side. His T-shirt wasn't big or loose hanging like the normal ones he wore, and his well-defined upper body is clearly on display under the tight material. She pored him a glass of orange juice, before saying with a smile, "you stink, want me to help you clean up?"

Taylor smiled, used to her playful flirting by now, "no, but thanks for the offer, were you looking for Laura?"

"No, I said to myself, where can I find a nice looking bloke to play with, then immediately thought off you." When she got no response, Jenny continued, "I'm joking, we have a New Year gig, and Frank wants us to start practicing today."

"A New Year gig, at which club?"

"That's the good news; we are going to play at the football stadium, for ten thousand screaming fans." She handed him a flyer advertising the New Year party, displaying the different bands, and DJ's performing on the night.

"After scanning through it he asked, "Ten thousand you say, where are they going to get those numbers?"

"Well last year more than ten thousand turned up...oh I forgot, you guys only moved here this year. It is the best party of the year, people from all over attends, it is fantastic. Last year we had such a good time, and 'The Crow's were headlining, this year it is 'Culture." Taylor watched his face light up with excitement.

"Shit you mean we are going to be on the same stage as 'Culture,' that will be fucking fantastic. Do you think they will sign a T-shirt or something?"

Jenny laughed, "Fuck signing a T-shirt, we will be mingling with them all night backstage, I'm taking my camera."

"Wait...what the hell are we going to sing?"

"We are only on for thirty minutes, don't worry, we have enough material to keep the crowd going." Jenny emptied her glass; she knew where this was going. "Taylor just fucking relax, this is a great opportunity for us, do not spoil it with your stupid insecurities."

Taylor replied angrily, "I was only asking, no reason to get excited?"

Jenny knew him better, "I know you and your aversion to people. Why someone as talented as you would sit and hide himself in a corner I don't know. There are lots off musicians performing with disabilities, what makes you so fucking different?"

Taylor had a hard time controlling his anger, he calmed himself knowing she must have been listening to Laura gain, before replying," tell Frank I will be there at the usual time, now if you would please excuse me?"

Jenny bit down on her lip in frustration, "Taylor I'm sorry..."

Taylor was already halfway down the stairs by then, "seven Jenny, I will see you all at seven."

Jenny wanted to just grab him and bash his head against the wall, she was still standing there thinking about it when the front door opened and Taylor's mom and sister walked in.

"Oh hi Jenny, are you here to have your dirty little way with my brother," Laura asked with a smile. The look on the other woman's face took only a moment to register. "What is wrong, are you okay?"

Jenny reply was full of anger and hurt, "hi Mrs. Miles, Laura...I don't know if I want to scream or cry."

Laura grabbed Jenny by the arm, pulling her towards the stairs that led to the upper bedrooms, "come with me girl, doctor Laura will sort you out."

Inside Laura's bedroom, she pushed Jenny down into a seated position on her bed, and locked her door. "Now tell me what my brother did to make you so upset?"

"We have this once in a life time chance to play at a huge gig, and all your brother worries about, is who will see him walking around on crutches. I just wish he would get over his injuries and join life."

Laura grabbed her photo album, "I want to show you something."

Looking at the pictures of Taylor in the album, Jenny almost did not recognize Taylor. "Wow, he looks so different with his hair short...and happy."

Laura nodded, "Yes that is Taylor three years ago, before the accident, look here, can you believe it is the same person?" The picture Laura mentioned was of Taylor looking like the average high school jock in his school athletics jacket.

"So he was a normal teenager once...I prefer his new look though, give me a rocker anytime."

"There is more to the story, than just him being in a car accident. My father died in that car crash, and all Taylor's hope and dreams too."

"Oh I'm so sorry..." Jenny interrupted, but Laura just shook her head.

"Taylor at seventeen years of age broke the national hundred meter sprint record. He was going to the Olympics the next year, representing our Country, you might not recognize the name Taylor, but he is actually called Christopher Taylor Miles...as in Chris Miles."

"Holy fuck, now I know who you are talking about, shit I'm so sorry about your dad, and Taylor."

"It is okay, we miss my dad allot, but we miss the happy Taylor even more. After the accident, things would have been much better if it was not for his so-called friends. I never knew people could be so hateful and jealous of another person's success. Okay, Taylor had a slightly over inflated ego, but the way the kids treated him after the accident, was just horrifying. They were happy to see him down, broken and miserable."

"Was it really that bad?"

"I can go on for hours telling you about the way they mocked him, calling him names like Forrest Gump and so on. The tricks they played on him, sometimes even causing him injury. Taylor swore me to secrecy; my mother was in a heel of state herself, just loosing her husband, needing to look for a job again, so we kept what was going on at school to ourselves."

"Fucking bastards, people are like that, you know. Everyone wants to be rich and famous, and if they cannot get there, they will cling on to those who might get there, and get recognition from knowing such a person. Inside though, they hate the other person, and would like nothing better than to see him fail, and when they fail, it is all about rubbing that person's failure back in his face. I hate fuckers like that," Jenny exclaimed heatedly.

"To protect himself from the ridicule, he did what any other person would do; he crawled into a corner, and stayed out of the public's eye. The newspapers actually blamed my father for the accident, not some tired truck driver, and Taylor swore that he would never place our mother in that position again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My mother loved my father, we all loved him. To see his name blackened in newspapers around the Country was almost too much for her to handle. Worst of all, was the fact that Taylor wanted to go to the meet in the old Ford. He and my dad spent hours restoring that car, and he begged my father to use the Ford. My father did not want too, but he never could say no to Taylor, so Taylor blames himself not only for the bad press, but also for my father's death."

"Shit, now I'm beginning to understand, but damn, he has so much talent, the world needs to hear him play that guitar, it makes me wet listening to him."

Laura laughed, "wait until you hear him sing girl, he makes Paul sound like choir boy."

"What, do you mean he has a singing voice too?"

"Yes, but just hold it, don't you dare say anything. If we tell Frank, Taylor will leave the band, I know him, so just shut it."

"Okay, my lips are sealed."

"His playing with the band means a great deal to me and my mother, we do not want him to crawl back into his dark cell. I would love to see him center stage though, so lets not push him too much, just small pokes everyday, if you get what I mean."

"Yeah, he is really good, and with us girls looking after him, giving Mr. Taylor a shove in the right direction, he will be famous once again one day," Jenny said with a smile.

"I agree with you sister, but he does not see it that way, so all I'm asking, is please give him time. In a year or so when he is up and running, Taylor will become the old Taylor again."

Jenny looked deep in thought for a moment, "Mhmmm...all he needs to do is take that shirt of his off, the girls would probably wet their panties just from the sight of that."

Laura laughed, "when did you see him with his shirt off?"

"Today when I walked in on him exercising, I did not get to see much though, but damn the little I saw was fine."

"I must agree with you there girl, if he wasn't my brother I would've popped his cherry long ago."

Jenny looked dumbfounded, "don't tell me your brother is still a virgin, how is that possible?"

"Well he was sixteen going on seventeen when the accident happened, and after that he became a recluse, that's why. Please keep this a secret, he will kill me if he finds out I spilled the beans."

With a smile and a twinkle in the eye Jenny replied, "his secret is safe with me, but I'm not promising that I wont take advantage."

Later when Taylor walked past his sister's bedroom, he could still hear the two girls laughing and chatting inside.