One Man's Trash Read Free Page B

That
Cosmo didn’t give her the liquid courage she’d thought it would. She probably
should’ve had two.

“Hi, everybody.” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. Anticipation hung
in the air. Diamond scanned the room, looking over all the judging eyes until
she found Kimmy’s face. Kimmy gave her a reassuring smile. Diamond smiled back
and took a deep breath.

“The song I’m going to sing is an original song called, I’m Stuck On You.”  She
wet her lips, allowing the melody from the band to resonate in her spirit. She
closed her eyes and imagined Ryan standing next to her.

When I take a breath
Baby it’s you I breathe
Now take a moment
Baby bring life to me

Her confidence rose with every word. The crowd swayed as she crooned.

When we walk together
With the sun beaming down
I step inside your shadow
Two become one now

I’m stuck on you, baby
I’m stuck on you…

She looked over the crowd. They gave her the feedback she’d hoped for. She
finished off the song with a strong ending and received a standing ovation.

“Great job! Give it up everyone for, DeeAye!” the announcer said into the mic.

Diamond bowed. A gentleman from the table close to the stage extended his hand
to help her step down. She thanked him, rushed back to her table and fell into
Kimmy’s embrace.

“Diamond, girl your heart is racing!” Kimmy caressed her back. “You can calm
down now sweetie, it’s over.

Diamond sat on her stool and gulped down the Cosmo that Kimmy had ordered while
she was on stage. “Whew!” She rested her hand on her chest. “I have never in my
life been so freaking nervous. I swear.”

Kimmy giggled. “Miss DeeAye, you were fantabulous girl! A true powerhouse!”

“Really?”

“Uh, hello? A standing ovation. I’m not the only one that thought so, honey.”

Diamond allowed herself to take in the moment. She was a powerhouse. She did get a standing ovation. This was a major accomplishment for her. She
wore a confident smile. “This is just the beginning.”

“Damn right! To new beginnings and following dreams!” Kimmy raised her cocktail
glass.

Diamond met her empty glass with hers. “To new beginnings and following
dreams!”

“I’ll drink to that!” Kimmy tossed back her Cosmo.

“Thanks for coming, Kimmy, it was helpful to see a friendly face in the crowd.
Helped ease my nerves a bit.”

“Girl, you were so good, I couldn’t even tell that you were nervous.”

“Excuse me,” a manly voice broke into their conversation.

A tall, sexy dred head stood beside Diamond. “Hi,” she said. His hair was
pulled back into a ponytail that stopped right at his shoulders. He smelled
woodsy, like incents.

“Hello, beautiful. I’m JT.” He extended his hand. Diamond shook it without
hesitation, never taking her gaze off his deep brown eyes.

“I’m Diamond and this is my bestie, Kimmy.”

JT offered his hand and a smile to Kimmy. She returned the gesture and they
shook hands. Kimmy’s smile faded as she retracted her hand. She had that weird
look on her face. JT didn’t seem to notice or if he did, he didn’t seem to
care.

He turned his attention back to Diamond. “I just wanted to come over and
introduce myself. You did an amazing job up there.” He angled his body as if he
was trying to block Kimmy out of the picture. Kimmy eyed him like a
disapproving mother.

“Thank you, JT. Are you performing tonight?”

“Yes, I’m about to go on stage next. Are you going to be here much longer, I
would love to finish our conversation.”

“No. No we’re about to leave actually.” Kimmy interrupted.

“Oh.” Diamond smiled apologetically. “I guess…I’m leaving shortly.” She cut her
eyes to Kimmy. Kimmy shot her a ‘don’t ask’ look. “Sorry, JT,” Diamond said.  

“Hey, no biggie. Why don’t I get your number and maybe we can keep in touch. I
would love to hear some more of your songs. Maybe you can give me some pointers
on how to write my own songs.