New Song

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the latest live performance from the rising DJ who just gave an outstanding performance at Florida's famous Ultra Music Festival—Dr. Ray!" the tuxedo-clad host announced.

Scattered applause broke out. Following the spotlight, Ryan and Joel could be seen slowly making their way to the center of the nightclub stage in matching white suits. They looked like band musicians from the 1930s. The outfits were retro and elegant, but seemed completely mismatched with DJs and electronic music.

Ryan even walked like a marionette, his posture stiff.

"That suit is too small for him," Abigail remarked, sinking into a soft, comfortable sofa not far from the stage.

Beside her, Taylor held a stemmed glass. A cherry clung to the rim of the conical cocktail glass.

"They came to the wrong place." Taylor took a sip of her cocktail.

The venue was much nicer than the nightclub they'd visited before. It had an indoor fountain, an art gallery, live instrumental performances, and a huge terrace overlooking the whole city of Nashville. It was one of the most exclusive private clubs in Nashville.

As this was Ryan's first performance since switching jobs, Abigail had of course come to show her support. As expected, she'd brought Taylor along too.

And, just as expected, no one paid any attention to Ryan's performance. People here liked violin, waltzes, and jazz, not two young men bobbing their heads.

"Maybe we could try making electronic music that's both classical and modern, giving the audience a sort of out-of-this-world experience!" Ryan said to Joel after the performance, washing it down with canned cola.

"As far as I know, there's only one electronic music duo that could pull off that kind of music—Daft Punk. They're not DJs; they're real artists. As for us, I think we should focus on figuring out how to keep our jobs." Joel shook his head, snapping Ryan out of his daydream.

Thanks to an introduction from one of Joel's colleagues, the two of them had gotten the chance to perform at this nightclub. Their fee was several times what they'd made before, and they only had to play for thirty minutes.

The terms seemed far better than those at their previous gig. It wasn't until after the performance that Ryan realized things were nothing like they seemed.

Aside from the mismatch in styles, their set list was strictly limited. The club only allowed them to play electronic music that suited the venue, so Ryan couldn't perform his "signature tracks." All he could do was mix classical music like Tiesto, but the result was an awkward mess. Not only couldn't the audience stand it—even Ryan couldn't listen to it.

At that moment, he understood that the only reason he'd been booked here was because he'd appeared at Ultra Music Festival. Who he was didn't matter.

"Why have you been coming up with all these weird ideas lately? You should keep exploring the Big Room style. Your fans on Myspace are still waiting for your new tracks," Joel reminded him.

Ryan had been struggling with that very question. Ever since he'd gotten an electronic music track a month ago, Déjà vu hadn't appeared again.

The two of them walked down a corridor and circled around to the nightclub entrance. From far away, Ryan spotted Abigail waving at him. Their work for the night was over, and they could spend the rest of the evening however they liked. They could go home, or they could entertain their friends.

"Hey, Joel," Taylor greeted him, only sparing Ryan a glance.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Abigail seemed much more affectionate with each other.

"Heh, heh." Taylor forced a smile.

To liven things up, Abigail started gossiping about a girl on the school's Cheerleading squad.

"She wears a sexy short skirt every day. You know how there's nothing blocking the view under the desks in class, right? Every lesson, someone's always dropping a pencil or an eraser..."

"Let me guess what she looks like," Joel said, intrigued.

"Black hair, always surrounded by the smell of perfume. She touches up her makeup between classes, and whenever she talks, she puts on this fake California accent—even though she's never been to the West Coast in her life."

Abigail and Joel burst out laughing.

Ryan and Taylor merely chuckled along. They had no interest in the topic.

"Abigail, what did you think of the music just now? I used a completely new kick drum," Ryan tried to talk about his music.

"You brought a drum onstage?" Abigail asked, puzzled.

"Uh... no." Ryan looked a little embarrassed.

Oh, so this must be what it'll be like when aliens are discovered on Earth someday, Taylor thought with a grin. She felt like Ryan and Abigail were on completely different wavelengths.

At that very moment, the thought crossed her mind, and Taylor's head suddenly went buzz.

"Hold on, hold on..." Taylor hurriedly began opening her handbag. She was so frantic that she yanked the zipper off, then rummaged around inside.

Her strange reaction drew the other three's attention. Joel and Ryan had no idea what was going on, but Abigail didn't seem surprised. "It's happening!"

What was happening?

Taylor pulled a small notebook out of her handbag, then fished out a ballpoint pen. Under the dim nightclub lights, she quickly scribbled a series of notes across the page.

Taylor held the pen in a very unusual way, pinching it between her index and middle fingers. It was obvious she'd never learned to hold it properly as a child.

She wrote a few lines, decided she didn't like them, and crossed them out. Then she wrote a few more before turning to the next page.

Every so often, she looked up and hummed a couple of notes, tapping the pen against the glass tabletop to keep time.

"Cool!" Joel got caught up in the excitement too, swaying along to the beat.

"Taylor's got it," he said to Ryan.

What are you all talking about? Ryan was the only one still completely in the dark.

A few minutes passed, and Taylor finally set down her ballpoint pen.

"It's only a rough draft, but I've got the general shape of it." Taylor began reading what she'd written on the page.

"You're on the phone with your girlfriend

She doesn't sound too happy

Maybe it's because of some joke you told at the wrong time

But she doesn't understand your humor like I do"

"She likes to wear sexy short skirts

While I just wear plain T-shirts

She's the dazzling captain of the Cheerleading squad

And I'm just an inconspicuous face in the stands

Dreaming my own dreams, imagining that one day, when you wake up, you'll realize

You'll realize that the person you've been looking for was never far away, but right there beside you..."

Halfway through, Taylor began singing the chorus to the three of them, her gaze drifting, intentionally or not, toward one of them.

"If you'd just look, you'd see I'm the one who truly understands you

I've always been quietly by your side, so why won't you turn around and see me?

You Belong With Me

You Belong With Me..."