Everybody's Got Somebody but Me

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau hummed as he tapped his foot against his guitar, trying to look casually as he inwardly squirmed. He shouldn't really be this keyed up, not really. He'd just invited some friends to a gig. He did that all the time. He enjoyed playing, and he enjoyed having people he liked in the audience. Liz had come to plenty of his shows in the past, and yeah, she was planning on doing at least one duet with him, one they'd practiced together (though weirdly enough, she'd found it, watched some show and said "oh, I can totally sing that song"). So that shouldn't have been bothering him. He got on well enough with Erika too: she'd helped him outta a jam and he saw her every so often, what with rooming with her brother. She was cool enough. He'd run into Felix a time or two before too, certainly heard the guy on the radio. So when Erika had asked if she could bring him along, it hadn't been a big deal.

So why did Beau feel about as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs? he looked over at the bouncer, who he could've sworn was actually grinning at him. Did every damn employee in these clubs know about Beau's love life....? then again, he pretty much sung it every time he got on stage. "I got friends comin'," Beau insisted. There was a beat, "an' only two of 'em are girls," he could've sworn that the guy smiled at that, so Beau just rolled his eyes and let out a breath of frustration, turning to look back at the crowd.

Was it couples' night? "Looks like Noah's ark up in here," drawled Beau, scanning the crowd. He could've sworn that everybody held somebody's hand. Decent mix too, which made Beau a little happy, he supposed. He didn't really look down on homosexuals or anything, and it was kinda cool to know that his music appealed to a long crowd. "It ain't couples--" asked Beau, turning to the bouncer, who smirked again. "Ya know, never mind," mumbled Beau, sticking his hands back into his pocket and lightly singing:

"I wish the couple on the corner would just get a room
Seems like everyone around me's on their honeymoon
I'd love to take a pin to a heart-shaped balloon
Everybody's got somebody but me

Well I don't know how I landed on this movie set
It's like a casting call for 'Romeo and Juliet'
I never would have noticed if we'd never..." Beau stopped for a bit, turning to look as people approached, a pretty blonde in particular. "Met," he said, finishing the verse and smiling. He waved, trying to get their attention.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Elizabeth had decided to go simple tonight, choosing a long sleeve dark red dress, knee high boots and the coat her mother had bought for her the last time she went home. Very understated but she liked to dress down during performances. Well, one performance.

Which she was a little nervous about.

She'd done duets with Beau before. Some of her best performances were duets with him but for some reason, this song was a lot more intimate than the others had been.

Okay, the song choice had mostly been because of the guy singer. She had picked it out of a show she recently got into (about country musicians no less) and the guy's vocals were ridiculous. So was his face but that was besides the point. The female vocals on it was thankfully in her range and the song was just to die for and that was the reason she was going to stick with.

Beau had been agreeable to it so she didn't really think too much of it. Until now that is.

She had brought her guitar with her, despite not actually needing it for this duet but she didn't want Beau doing all the work so they had improvised the music so they were both able to play. She needed a distraction so she wouldn't stare at him the whole song.

After braiding her hair down her side, patting on baby powder on her face, she texted Beau and Erika that she was leaving as she set off for the bar.

Seeing people cuddled up against each other in the seats, Elizabeth couldn't help the frown that set on her face as realisation quickly dawned on her. Her cheeks reddened a little as heat rose. Trying hard to quell it, she looked around for Beau and found him waving at her.

"Dude, is it couples night?" She asked, adjusting the strap of her guitar on her shoulder as she looked around.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika had to admit she was a little surprised when she had been asked to join Beau and Liz had invited her to join the out, but the thing seemed casual enough, and she figured she'd might as well bring Felix along with her.

Most of the hours before the grouping, Erika had spent trying on various outfits and hair combinations, and had finally settled for a black vest-like dress with colorful patterns and a less fixed, yet cute and casual hairdo. She had offered Felix that they rode together, and not long after, they were on their way to the club district.

Due to the recent events, especially the one that occurred in the closed up classroom, Erika found herself being a little more nervous around the boy than what she usually was, and that was one of many reasons as to why she had spent so long planning her outfit; Surely, she knew he wouldn't care either way, but the extra effort took away some of the nerves - and it was probably a good thing that Erika had handed the keys to her black BMW over to Felix, or else she might have ran off the road.

Anyways, once parked outside the club, Erika opened the door and stepped outside, Erika ran her hand through her hair as she closed the door behind her, ''I think this is the right place,'' she tossed over her shoulder and waited for Felix to step around the car. Offering him a grin, she nodded towards the door, ''Shall we?''

The club itself was nice; It was filled with what seemed to be a whole lot of couples; Yep, totally not making things even more awkward. Nope. Nooot at aaaall. Gazing around, Erika tried searching for familiar faces, holding her phone in one hand and the other clenched at her side;

To: Liz
We're here! Where are you?

As Erika hit send, she peeked up to see Beau waving at them, ''Oh, there they are,'' Erika muttered with a laugh, grabbing Felix's wrist as she tugged him through the crowd, offering both Beau and Liz a sheepish grin, ''Heya!'' Erika greeted them, nodding towards Felix, ''Felix - Beau and Liz - Beau and Liz - Felix.''

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix tried to keep track of the company Erika kept, but she seemed to have grown such an extensive social circle that even he, who spent the majoirity of his time in her company, felt asthough he was often introducded to someone new every other day. Not that he really minded; she was a social butterfly after all. However tonight they were to be meeting up at least one person he regignosed as seeing with her before, who he'd maybe spoken to a handle oftimes, but he certainly seemed nice enough. The girl he didn't know, but hey, he was always up for extending his own friend circle... And an evening not thinking on the horrific global events of the past few days would certainly be welcomed.

Since the recent incident in the empty classroom, he'd felt a little on ceramony around Erika, fussing more about his apperence then he would usually do, wanting to impress her. But of course she'd seen the worst parts of his personality and the best already by now, and was still sticking by his side... So attempting to impress her was surely not going to change her opinion, so why was he feeling nervous? Maybe because this was their first night out since... Well, that incident. He wasn't quite sure what was going to be expected of him; should he act the boyfriend? He decided it was just going to be easier to simply be natural with her, as they always had been. Why fuss over formalities just yet... He didn't want to risk anything that might make her feel he was moving too fast.

Seeing her before they headed out into town only sent his nerves into a slight overdrive; she looked stunning... But then she had always done... But having made his feelings very obvious to her and her the same, it was bound to change a little of how he saw her now. all the notions and thoughts he'd banished from his mind previously couldbe allowed to fluster in his mind, such as musing on how stunningly beautiful she was, and being able to acknowledge to himself the way she made him giddy.
He'd gladly taken her keys, and once they'd arrived at the club he'd parked up, smiling at her as he climbed out of the car and locked the doors behind him. "Ladies first," He joked, before walking ahead himself, referring to the joke she often made when she offered for him to walk ahead of her.
The club was pretty nice, not too over the top, but not too downgraded either. It was a relaxing environment, and one that Felix normally would have felt comfortable being in... Apart from one very obvious reason.
It was FILED with couples.
Couples being cute, cuddly, hand holding... Whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears kind of couples. Felix instantly felt his nerves fluctuate slightly, casting his companion a grin. "It's... Um. Couples night, is it?" He commented, quirking a brow at the array of pairs of people, only to have his wrist grabbed and to allow himself to be dragged through the crowd to who he assumed they were to be meeting.

"Nice to meet you!" Felix offered them a friendly grin and a slight wave once he was faced with the pair. "Erika's been telling me all about you."
`

[Beau LaRoux]

For a few moments, Beau's entire attention was focused on a hot blonde that carried a guitar case, which only made her hotter. He'd sort of waved and gotten their attention, but he seemed to not quite realize that he should've stopped as soon as the other approached, meaning that his waving kept going for a few beats longer than strictly necessary. he tried to cover by reaching around to rub at the back of his head, or maybe signal the bouncer, who was now shooting Beau looks that said something the Southern boy just wasn't quite picking up on yet.

"They didn't say it was," he mumbled to Liz, before looking around. "Might be why they wanted both of us to play though, some kinda theme or somethin'," Beau chuckled at that, grabbing his own guitar and picking it up, if only to have something for his hands to do. "You're lookin' distractin' though, so I reckon they won't even tell I'm up there," he said to Liz, giving her a smile.

Erika and the boy Beau didn't recognize arrived. As soon as Erika chirped her greeting, Beau raised his hand and waved to her.... again, thus proving that Beau's brain was definitely not firing on all cylinders. He focused on the guy, who was the least likely to tease Beau about how deficient his brain was working. "I'm Liz, an' the hot girl is clearly Beau," he drawled, pointing. He nodded to the guy, "an' sorry if I don't shake your hand. Uh, don't wanna pick up somethin'... different," he was trying to be subtle about it. Never a good thing to have a random power thrust at you. Beau had purposefully moved closer to Liz. This was, of course, totally because he could handle her power the best out of the group (though he had a decent handle on Erika's too), and not for any other foreseeable reason in the slightest.

"You can probly drink on our tab for the night," offered Beau, pointing to the bar, "jus' tell 'em that your our friends. Bartenders are used to cute girls gettin' drinks from me, so you might have to jus' get 'im from Erika, Felix," offered Beau, smiling and joking. Anything to get attention away from how very, very not good his brain was working right now. He was so better than this...

[Elizabeth Edison]

Beau's dragged out wave was lost on Elizabeth as she felt her phone vibrate in her dress pocket. She checked it as Beau called her distracting. She looked up at him and smiled lightly. "There are a lot of girls here who would probably say the same about you, Beau." She replied before returning to her phone, hoping that the dimness of the pub hid her heated cheeks. She was about to reply to the message when she heard Erika's voice behind her so the pyrokinetic turned and slipped her phone back into her pocket, assessing the new guy. Damn, was he good-looking or what?

"Hey." She greeted them, holding out her hand to the one introduced as Felix. She laughed at Beau's response, nodding accommodatingly at his joke. "It's short for Beau-dacious. My parents obviously didn't think it through when I came around." She added her own joke, lame as it was.

She leaned forward in Erika's direction, pulling her for a hug. "So glad you could come, hon! You look gorgeous as always." She pressed her cheek against Erika's and went back to stand beside Beau. She rolled her eyes when he mentioned the cute girls. Rub it in, Beau. "Yeah, Liz here always gets the cuties." She chuckled.

"Our set's coming up soon but maybe we should sit first? I think our table is up front." Elizabeth took Erika's hand and tugged her along so they could walk first. "Oh my God I am so glad you're here. How do I look?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Grinning at Felix's comment, Erika offered a simple nod before shrugging, ''Apparently so,'' she said, but didn't offer the idea much more thought. Really, why did it matter if they were surrounded by couples? It didn't affect things much. They were here to hang with friends, not watch all the kissy-kissy love scenes playing out throughout the bar.

Offering the pair another smile, Erika stood back as she waited for the greeting to end. Luckily Erika understood why Beau didn't want to shake Felix's hand, and the thought of Felix maybe not getting it was washed away from her mind at the...Awfully lame jokes that were served; But that was also part of their charm. Especially Liz. Erika was pretty damn sure the blonde could charm just about anyone with her flashing smile and choice of words. She had smitten the brunette with her charm more than once already.

Welcoming the hug with open arms, Erika returned it with a short laugh, ''Of course I came,'' she said, ''As do you - like always,'' she winked at the blonde, before turning her attention towards Beau again. ''Wow, five minutes in and you've already gotten de-masculinized. Great job, Felix!'' Erika tossed her companion a mischievous grin, laughing a little at the image. But like always, the telekinetic came prepared with both credit cards and fake ID's. It was sort of her thing, and also something she blamed on her OCD; Not only did she need to keep things tidy, she also, always and constantly needed to bring half of Narnia in her purse. Just in case.

Before Erika had the chance at saying much more, Liz tugged at her arm and Erika followed her beautiful friend without much hesitation, ''Don't worry - you look stunning, and I don't think I'm the only one who has noticed,'' she chuckled. She didn't think there was a need to mention names; Liz was beautiful, both on the outside and on the inside, and there was more than one man in the bar eying her, ''You're singing a duet, right?'' In Erika's opinion, Beau and Liz did make the perfect couple. Not only because of their looks, but also because of their shared interests. She bet they'd look brilliant up on the stage together and she simply couldn't wait to see how it'd end up.

Wrapping her arm around the blonde's shoulders, Erika leaned closer in, ''So, tell me all the juicy details,'' she cooed cheerfully.

[Felix Nicholas]

The pair seemed friendly, although it was clear the boy had other things on his mind; the girl was incredibly pretty, and it was clear both her and Erika were receiving a number of appreciative glances in their direction. Felix raised a brow slightly at Beau for being denied a handshake, but shrugged it off with a smile, which only grew wider at the bad set of jokes he and Erika were tossed. He was defiantly going to like these two... A well played bad joke always got Felix in a good mood, it was a hard art form to perfect.
He glanced at their guitars, assuming a romantic duet was on the cards; he was looking forward to hearing them play. Perhaps he could sway them to perform on the school's radio...
"Hey!" He pouted a little at being told he'd have to get his drinks through Erika. "Are you saying I'm not as cute as Erika?! I don't know, a quick pat of the eyelashes and a flash of thigh and I'm sure the bartenders will be fighting to serve me." He laughed jokingly, before playfully nudging Erika with his arm. "I take that to offense too! Only a man perfectly comfortable in his manhood can allow a beautiful, independent woman to get him drinks. You know, challenge the status quo!" He then smiled as his best friend took the girl in arm and led her away, leaving him by the boy who was so very clearly paying far more attention to the blonde then to him or anything else happening in the venue. Although Erika had told him about the pair, mostly about them and their singing and music talents then anything personal, Felix came to the quick assumption that they were indeed a couple... This assumption was mostly taken from the glazed look in the boy's eyes whenever he gazed in Liz's direction, and the fact they were singing as a pair in a club so clearly full of couples.
"... I'm looking forward to hearing you and your girlfriend play," He grinned. "Come on, don't want to leave them gossiping for too long."

[Beau LaRoux]

Beau just grinned at Liz's comment, not entirely sure how to take it. He'd have been too busy staring as it was, then tripping over himself and his various comments. Fortunately, everyone seemed to take the joking in stride, Felix even tossing in a few of his own that at least got some chuckles out of Beau. He only had the little bits that Erika had sort of told him in passing (and that Liz had told him about in detail, but those were always fuzzy). Well, that and the school radio, since Beau did tune in every once in a while. He'd thought about offering to play for the radio from time to time, but he didn't want to come off as presumptuous.

The girls already seemed to sort of be drifting toward one another, which Beau was, sadly, used to. Liz did this to him often enough, and she wasn't the only female friend he happened to have (though the only one he still gave long, lingering looks toward, and, to his credit, most of them weren't toward the parts of his anatomy that would perhaps have made the most sense. He definitely seemed to like looking at her smile, but now the details are just getting distracting, right?).

"Yeah," he tried throwing in to Erika and Liz's conversation, "we're gonna be doin' a few together, I reckon," at least the new one, and Beau kind of wanted to resurrect at least one of their older ones. "Lucky" or "Need You Now" both being at the top of his mind, for reasons that might have had something to do with their wandering into Noah's ark here.

Then Erika was wrapping her arm around Liz, both heading to a table actually reserved for the talent. Beau made a few gestures toward the staff, though they already knew he was there, what with his having informed them before everyone else got here (and set up most of the rest of the sound system).

"Yeah, you'd better get used to lettin' the girls 'round here buy the drinks too," agreed Beau, sidling back to stand nearish to Felix. He was a little worried about picking up the other's ability, but he didn't seem to be sprouting wings or anything. "'course, there's at least one bartender who'd give ya drinks if you asked," Beau shot a quick glance at the bar, wondering if the guy was on tonight. Probably; he seemed to work quite often whenever Beau played, and Beau really didn't want to think about the reasons why.

He started toward the table, only just catching Felix's comment. He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his head. "Wha'? Nah, we ain't really a couple," he admitted, looking at Liz with a look that said otherwise in almost no uncertain terms. He wanted to add a yet, but he wasn't going to go there. "'sides, maybe I'm hopin' to get as lucky as you an' bag a beautiful Bellefonte," he winked.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Erika's reassurance assuaged her worries for a little while, her eyes immediately drifting over to Beau at Erika's ensuing comment. The mention of the duet had her nodding, her nerves coming back. The idea of singing the chosen song now seemingly daunting due to the number of couples in the audience.

"Juicy? I got nothing." Elizabeth huffed, blowing a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes. "I'm still not even sure if his flirting is just between us or it's just what he does with all the girls." Elizabeth turned to Erika. "He flirts with you too, doesn't he?" Her tone borne out of genuine curiosity rather than accusatory.

Fiddling with the fringes of her guitar strap, she tucked some flyaway hair behind her ear. "If I knew it was couples night, I wouldn't have decided on our duet. Or agreed to the set we're about to do." She chuckled hollowly. Her nerves were definitely getting the best of her.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Eying Felix with an arched eyebrow, Erika rolled her eyes before laughing, ''Right, right.'' Eh, manliness was hard to define; It really depended on who you asked. Personally, Erika had never been one for the brutish, manly types anyways.

''Aww, come on!'' Erika pushed with a chuckle, ''He can't stop staring at you; Don't tell me you can't see it.'' Maybe Erika's vibe was totally off; But she had noticed something and ironically enough, she was a romantic; All things considered anyways. If anyone could make her believe in happy endings, it would be seeing the two of them together, ''Me? Not that I've noticed, no,'' Erika admitted and scratched her back. No, she couldn't say she had noticed any of that; At least not the way he acted around Liz, that was for sure.

''But the question remains though; Do you really think he flirts with others, or is it an excuse to avoid putting yourself out there?'' If Liz didn't have interest him in that way, though Erika was sure she did, maybe even subconsciously, she wasn't going to push it.

Letting her arm drop, Erika took another glance around the room, shrugging she turned towards Liz again, ''Eh, it's not too bad. What's the worst that can happen? I mean, we're here for us, not the couples.'' Theoretically the couples didn't have to matter, or even make things uncomfortable for either of them, ''Besides, the two of you are going to kick ass and make every single couple in her wish they were you,'' she winked at the blonde before giving her a playful bump with her elbow.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix watched as Erika led the other female to the reserved table, glad that at least her focusing on Liz meant he wouldn't have to worry about how exactly she wanted him to be around her now. To be honest, nothing had changed between them generally, they acted the same as they'd always been... But he couldn't deny the nervous, unsure thoughts that played on his mind. He would give her all the time in the world... And he wouldn't take any high ground if she chose to keep their friendship at that... A friendship. As long as she was happy, that's all that mattered... He could cope with his own feelings, but her being hurt or upset was something he couldn't stand. If he had to endure for the sake of her, he would; and he knew deep down he always would do.
He glanced back to Beau, the boy's words bringing Felix from his thoughts. He grinned widely, chuckling as he scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry, I'm used to it. Most bartenders on average tend to go for serving the pretty girls over the guys," He replied cheerily with a shrug. "No matter how exceedingly attractive they are!" He added with a joking tone. He noticed how the other male didn't seem to want to stand too close to him, having already noted how he didn't offer his hand to shake. His power must be touch based, although he didn't know exactly what it was, Erika hadn't spoken about it. He raised a brow at Beau however when he denied being in a relationship with the other girl, something which surprised the radio host... The way he was looking at her, and the fact they were performing songs as a pair... It certainly implied otherwise. "Oh, sorry, I thought..." He began, before trailing off at the guy's next words. "Um... Eh. Well, I've not exactly bagged a Bellefonte..." He grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair, glancing over in Erika's direction. He didn't exactly think it was the best idea to go into all of it right now, especially to someone he didn't really know all that well. "... It's complicated."

[Beau LaRoux]

The girls looked to be putting their heads together, which made Beau wish what exactly they were talking about. He had that whole ears burning thing, but he wasn't about to go prodding in there. he knew better. That came, sadly, from experience of exactly the wrong kind. Seeing as Beau wasn't sure what kinda power Felix had, he figured he might as well try to be all sneaky and read their minds or something. Nothing happened. So at least Beau could scratch telepath off.

Guy did have a good sense of humor though. Beau found himself chuckling and nodding at the bartender comments, having noticed that himself. He got slightly better service than most, at least whenever he was the entertainment, but he'd still been the only guy among a crowd of pretty faces. Got real thirsty real quick.

Speaking of pretty girls, Beau was doing his share of staring at two right now. Well, technically in the direction of two; his eyes were pretty well locked on the blonde. Not that Beau didn't find Erika pretty; he wasn't blind, but he knew where his affections lay, and he had a good knack for honing those in. Usually had a knack for guessing other people's relationships too, which is why he had to chuckle as Felix denied getting with Erika.

"Yeah, I imagine it's gotta be with her," agreed Beau, nodding to Erika. He gave Felix a pat on the back, feeling that tingle for only a few seconds, easy enough to ignore. "Don't worry 'bout it. Girls are all kinds o' trouble. You wanna head over to the bar with me? Grab a few drinks for the girls 'fore the show gets started? They're lookin' all gossipy right now," he nodded toward the girls, who were looking  a little obvious to Beau. He also slid out his phone, already typing the message to let Liz know where the boys were going to be swinging to. Beau's feet already started that way too, figuring that Felix would at least tag along for the moment. The couples thing was gonna be awkward enough without adding more to it.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Looking at Erika in disbelief as she tried to convince her about Beau's feelings for her, Elizabeth laughed, punctuating it with shakes of her head. "I probably have a pimple on my forehead or something." The pyrokinetic reasoned.

Erika's question had Elizabeth gaping at her a little, blinking as she pondered on the answer. That was a good question. One Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that Erika knew exactly the answer to. She kept quiet and chewed on her lower lip sheepishly.

The bump made her smile as she bumped back. "We so are going to kick ass." At least she could agree on that. Their rehearsals had been a success but it had always been like that with them. Their voice complemented each others; there was no doubt they had chemistry when they sang.

The buzzing in her pocket alerted her to a text and as she read it, she scanned the room for the familiar head of blond hair, waving at him as he walked over to the bar.

"What about you and Felix though? I mean girl...that guy is painfully attractive, you realise that right?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Sighing, Erika simply rolled her eyes before smiling. It was painful to watch them both being so shy; Maybe it was a biased opinion, but she really did see them fit well together. They kind had for a long time. But, if Liz didn't want to visit the subject, Erika wasn't going to push it. It was none of her business, and she knew from experience that it was far better for a couple to find their own way in their own time rather than someone stepping in to meddle.

Laughing, the telekinetic nodded her head in agreement, ''Eyup,'' she said, grinning, ''And the rest of us get to stay put and just be jealous.'' Erika would be, she didn't even bother hiding it. Even if they weren't ready to admit it or even acknowledge it, they made one hell of a couple. Especially on stage. They made themselves appear like the couple everyone wanted to be.

Frowning slightly at the blonde's question, Erika simply shrugged. Sure, Felix was attractive. She already knew that, and had known for quite some time. But with the recent events, and Everett Erika didn't really know if she wanted to go there. At least not yet; She wanted to be one hundred percent sure which of the boys she wanted to be with before making any more moves, ''I don't know,' she admitted with a smile, ''He's my best friend. I don't wanna mess that up, you know?'' And he had been her best friend for several years. One didn't simply toss away a friendship like that.