“Come on!” Kerry yelled as they turned the corner of the house. Suddenly Kerry stopped and motioned for Courtney to stay where she was. They heard a car door slam and then the front door. Kerry motioned for Courtney to follow her through the side gate.

“What now?” Courtney asked, looking intently at Kerry.

Kerry looked at her and noticed she was grinning.

“You better go home, Court,” Kerry said as she began walking down the sidewalk.

“Wait, Kerry, where are you going?”

“I’ll have to find a place. At least until she’s gone.”

“When will that be?”

“Not sure, it depends. But you should go.”

Courtney watched Kerry walk down the sidewalk carrying her backpack. Then she ran after her.

“Where will you crash?”

“Some place.”

“You could stay with me tonight.”

“Your mom would…”

“No, at David’s house.”

“Is he cool?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you stay there?”

“It’s better than mom’s house.”

“Doesn’t she care?”

“Yeah, but David sticks up for us.”

“Who’s us?” Kerry asked.

Courtney pushed her. “Me and Donna, dumbshit!”

Kerry shook her head. “You should probably go. I’ll be alright.”

Kerry turned around and began walking away again.

Courtney ran after her and grabbed her by the shirt. Kerry turned around and Courtney smiled at her.

“Come on shithead, this way. But remember, you have to be nice.”

 “Why do you need the Firebird?” David asked.

The band was back in town after touring with the leading band in the new hard rock scene. This was after the release of the first album. It stopped short of going gold, but it was regarded by the band’s record label as a success. They were due to start recording the second album, and had planned another tour. They were in Seattle for a while before coming back to see David and crash at the house.

Courtney grinned at him. “We’re goin’ to the Heights. Can’t go to the Heights without the Firebird!”

The band had two rental cars parked out front of the house on the street. But the Heights weren’t the Heights without a really cool car. Kerry was standing about four feet away from Courtney. David pulled the car keys out his pocket, looked directly at Courtney and threw the keys to Kerry. Courtney laughed and pushed Kerry out the door. Lindsey and Nikki were waiting outside. It was the last time they would all be back at the house. They piled into the Firebird and Kerry took off. Courtney kicked the back of Kerry’s seat and told her to open the sunroof. Then she stood up, hanging out the sunroof with her arms stretched out toward the sky and her head thrown back. 
******************************************
The more he heard about Courtney’s behavior while in the band, the more he remembered one of his first encounters with her. She was a little over three years old. It was Saturday, and Ellen and Carl had gone to brunch with a couple they knew from church. He was at home watching TV when the phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Is Mother home?”

“Hi Sarah. No; they went to brunch. With the Macklins I think. Why?”

“Well, I cooked dinner for tonight. Now come over and pick up the food.”

“What food?”

“Chicken casserole, three bean salad and a Bundt cake.”

David paused for a moment. “A Bundt cake?”

“Yes! And a Bundt cake. Hurry up!”

“Milton’s not home?”

“No.”

Sarah was still living in Walker Blaine’s old house since Milton didn’t make enough money to allow them to move. He knocked on the door and heard Sarah yell at him to come in. When he opened the door, Courtney was standing there, holding a small stuffed bear. Donna was sleeping nearby in her crib. He looked down at Courtney and she smiled at him. Then she held the bear out to him. Sarah peered at them from around the corner.

“Oh, take it, David, or she’ll stand there forever!”

David smiled and took the bear. Then he looked up to ask Sarah what to do with it. He looked back down and Courtney was gone. She was making her way down the front walk toward the driveway. Suddenly Sarah bolted from the kitchen, through the living room and out the front door after Courtney.
******************************************
Kerry found herself on the verge of a panic attack. Then a man with a clipboard who worked with the lighting technicians tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the reception area. This was a large room where food and drinks were served after the band’s sound check. They had taken to having a sort of pre-show celebration, treating all the security and support people to a free meal. There was a waiting room off to the side containing some couches and chairs. Kerry ran in and found the reception area empty. Then she walked into the waiting room.

Courtney was lying on one of the couches. She was on her back, with her head leaning back on the arm rest. She was wearing a white blouse and tan leggings. The leggings were tucked into her black boots. She had a shiny black headband at the top of her forehead, and a red scarf was intertwined with her hair down the back. She was asleep, and had been so since sound check ended. Kerry became so nervous that she didn’t notice Courtney wasn’t around. Neither had the others.

Kerry stood over her. “Hey!” she yelled. Then she reached down, grabbed Courtney’s sleeve, and shook her. Courtney stirred, and tried to roll over onto her side. Kerry shook her again. She opened her eyes and looked up at Kerry.

Kerry glared down at her. “Think you can join us?”

Courtney sat up and looked at the clock on the wall. Then she jumped to her feet and grinned at Kerry.

“Oh, we’re on!” she shouted.

Then she pushed Kerry out of the way and ran through the backstage area, past Lindsey and Tammy, and, without stopping, out onto the stage. The lights in the stadium were off, but as soon as she ran on stage, the lights went back on. The crowd jumped to its feet, and the cheering was deafening. Courtney froze. Lindsey looked nervously at Kerry, who was now standing next to Tammy. Courtney walked over to the microphone stand, removed the microphone and slowly walked down the walkway and stood at the very edge. The crowd was still cheering as several colored spotlights began crisscrossing each other, sending a rainbow of colored light through the stadium. She raised her hands in the air, tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She stood there that way for a few moments. Then she gazed out across the floor crowd. A moment later she began pumping her fist in the air. Nikki began the opening beat.

“What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!”

Nikki stood up and pulled a rolled up magazine out of her back pocket and tossed it to Kerry. It was a rock and roll fan magazine. It was the issue with the latest fan polls. Kerry picked it up and began flipping through it.

“Did we make it?” she asked excitedly.

Nikki laughed. “Yeah; Number 2 best new band.”

Kerry jumped up and looked at Nikki. “What about the categories?”

“Yeah, we’re all in there. But look on page 20.”

Kerry turned to page 20 and then looked up and glared at Nikki.

“Number One new rock vocalist, Courtney Blaine.”

Then she began reading out loud an article written by a critic arguing that Courtney was carrying the rest of the band. As her anger grew, there was suddenly a loud banging on the door.

“The damn sign is on the door now!” Kerry yelled. This was true, but she forgot to lock it. Moments later the door swung open, and Courtney marched in. Nikki quickly pushed past her and headed down the hall.

“Where have you been?” Kerry asked.

“Mind your own business!” Courtney shouted as she sat down. “What are you reading?”

“What am I reading? Here! See for yourself,” she said, handing the magazine to Courtney.

Courtney read her ranking and then broke out laughing. She leaned forward and grinned at Kerry.

“Let’s see where Kerry is! Hmm, I can’t seem to find her,” Courtney said, flipping through the pages. Then she stood up.

“No wait! Here she is!” She looked over and saw Kerry glaring at her.

“What? Number Five of ten isn’t so bad!” she said, grinning at Kerry.

“I’ve got work to do shithead! Somebody’s gotta write new material!”

Courtney quickly ran for the door, laughing as she went. “See you later Kerry!”

Kerry turned around and threw the magazine at her. “Yeah, see you later Number One!”

Courtney Blaine: Vocals

Daughter of Sarah and Walker Blaine; sister of Donna Butler; David's niece. Courtney connects with David at a young age and will later share his love of rock music. Suffering physical abuse at home at the hands of Sarah's second and third husbands, she ends up living with David. Courtney has a learning disability that seriously affects her performance at school, but at the same time, is able to compose vivid and powerful lyrics. She also has an affinity for getting into trouble and is often the target of bullies. Then one day at school, a known trouble-maker and "tough chick" Kerry Cooper asks Courtney to help her pass a test by letting her copy her answers. The two are caught cheating and from that time forward are inseparable. Kerry acts decisively to deal with those picking on Courtney. An incident involving alcohol at Kerry's house prompts Sarah to prohibit Courtney from hanging around with Kerry. One evening Courtney brings Kerry to David's house, and before long, Kerry moves in. Courtney becomes infamous on the hard rock scene for stirring up and inciting the audience at the band's shows often being combative with fans around the stage, and during one show causes a riot. She displays a strange lack of nervousness when performing before large crowds. Courtney has a unique relationship with David featuring a strong impulse to emulate him.  An incident following the break up the band puts her drug problem into context. It is during that scene that it becomes clear what Courtney needs most and that she can only realize it through David.

Then she began sobbing. “But maybe I shouldn’t have called; things were so different then.”

“Courtney, that’s ok; all that matters is that things are different now.”

“But it’s all my fault.”

“What is?”

“Nikki.”

“What?”

“It was happening right in front of me, David; and I did nothing. I stood and watched and did nothing.”

He wasn’t really sure what to say.

“And then I forgot.”

“Forgot what?” David asked.

“She disappeared. And I forgot. You asked me about her. I forgot that too.”

David almost dropped the phone. It was a long time ago, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. Nikki called from somewhere in England. He begged her not to disappear. It was strange that Courtney put it like that. He suddenly got an uneasy feeling.

“And you lost her.”

“You have to listen to me, Courtney. It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could do. You couldn’t change what was happening….” She suddenly cut him off.

“I could have tried,” she said, although it was hard to make it out because she was sobbing.

“Everybody can say that, sweetheart.”

“Not you.”

What a strange thing to say. He suddenly got an uneasy feeling. Again. 

“Yes, me too. Remembering isn’t easy. There are good things to remember, and bad things. The bad things are just…louder.”

There was a long pause. “Why?”

“Well, sometimes you have to go back to where things started. Sometimes you can start again. But sometimes, you go back to make things right.”

“What if you can’t make them right?”

David paused as that uneasy feeling came over him again. “Then you go back to be at peace with them. And you need to be at peace with Nikki.”

“Will she forgive me?”

“Yes.”
******************************************
But Zach suggested that he read up a bit on the account. Reaching for a second file, he noticed an English textbook on the table. He picked it up expecting it to be Donna’s. But he found Courtney’s name written on the inside cover. There were pieces of notebook paper folded up and sticking out of some of the pages. He began opening the book to where the papers were, and in most instances, the book opened up to the pages where she was supposed to write out the lessons. He sat for a while looking at what she wrote on the pieces of notebook paper. It was clear that she tried several of the exercises from the beginning, and then gave up. What she wrote was choppy, and even with his limited knowledge; there were grammatical errors throughout. But it was clear she had been trying. Then he pulled out a piece of notebook paper from the back. On it he read what clearly looked like song lyrics. They were short and concise, and they flowed well. When he stopped and read them again, he realized that each line produced a rather vivid mental picture. He was impressed with what Courtney wrote, and he realized that when she gave up on the lessons, she was writing the lyrics.

Now he was no expert to be sure, but he thought he had a better understanding of Courtney’s situation. But he had trouble thinking of what he could do. The school would not be helpful. Her history of disciplinary problems overshadowed everything else by that point, and tutors would not be made available to her. But tutors for every subject would be impossible anyway. He could hire tutors, but she would be unwilling to cooperate. He now fully knew she had developed a notoriously combative attitude toward those she viewed as school authority figures. The best answer seemed to be a totally different school, one that could teach kids like Courtney. Although he could afford it, he was well aware that she would never go, and he wouldn’t make her. Perhaps he did know what it was like to be a mother now. He decided that it would be best if he kept that realization from Sarah. But it wasn’t long before things suddenly changed.
******************************************
Suddenly, Courtney came running around the corner of the building. Lani was walking behind her with her cigarettes in her hand. Sarah put her hands on her hips.

“You’re in big trouble, young lady!” Sarah hollered.

“I am?” Lani asked. Then she laughed.

“Oh, it’s you,” Sarah growled.

“How are you, matron?” Lani asked with a smile.

Sarah pointed at her. “You’re lucky you’re David’s friend!” Then she looked at David. “Get rid of that one! She’ll bring you nothing but grief. I liked the other one.”

Courtney reached down and picked up the old tennis ball. Then she cocked her arm back and threw it. It bounced twice and then hit Sarah. Lani laughed.

“Nice shot, Courtney!” Lani yelled.

Sarah walked over to David and handed him the bag.

“Take these to Mrs. Lipscomb!”

Courtney ran over, reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a brownie. She was about to take a bite when Sarah walked over and grabbed her by the arm. Courtney dropped the brownie and began screaming and trying to pull away from her.

“No-no-no-no-no-no!” Courtney hollered.

“I’ve had just about enough from you today, young lady!”

Then she dragged her toward the gap in the fence.

“No-no-no-no-no-no!” Courtney yelled again.

Reaching the fence, Sarah let go of her long enough for Courtney to crawl through the gap, and then Sarah followed her. 
******************************************
“Where the fuck are they? We’re on soon!” Kerry said, looking at Lindsey.

Suddenly Nikki stepped out of the elevator.

“Glad you could join us,” Kerry growled.

Nikki smiled at her. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, Kerry Cooper.”

“Where’s Court?” Lindsey asked.

“Maybe she’s in the room,” Nikki suggested.

Before Kerry could knock, the door swung open and a man she didn’t know walked out. The others walked in and found Courtney sitting on the couch, placing a finger against each side of her nose as she inhaled. Tammy walked in and went over to the small refrigerator in the corner.

“There was beer in here before,” she growled.

Kerry sat down across from Courtney. “Who was that?”

Courtney sat back in the chair and smiled. “None of your business shithead.”

Kerry laughed. Tammy came back with a bottle of champagne. Then she held it up in the air.

“Drink like a star!” Tammy yelled.

Lindsey jumped up and grabbed the bottle from her. “Drink like a star!”

Kerry glared at Courtney, reaching out and grabbing her nose.

“You done yet? We don’t make enough money for that,” she said, pulling a joint out her pocket and sticking it in Courtney’s mouth.

Courtney smiled, reached over and turned up the radio that was sitting on the table. She leaned forward and patted Kerry on the cheek, then turned the radio up louder.

“Bitter Roses Kerry! You shouldn’t worry so damn much!”