Hissi, Come Blow Your Horn!: Part Four

Goldie groaned in frustration as she looked at her watch. "Where the heck are those two? They're a half-hour late!"

      She looked up when she heard the door open, only to find Melvin and Bebop enter the cafe. "Well?" she asked.

      Bebop shook his head. "Sorry, Goldie. We looked everywhere. We couldn't find Satch or Billie."

      "Did Satch say where he was going when you last saw him?"

      "We didn't get a chance to ask," Melvin said. "He just looked all nervous, then took off. I'm really starting to worry. You don't think he's getting the last minute jitters, do you?"

      "Nah, not our Satchy," answered Duke who had been sitting at nearby table, polishing his sax. "He'll pull through, you'll see. And so will Billie."

      "Well, they better," fumed Goldie. "The cafe's going to open soon and we need to be ready to - Satch! There you are! Where have you been?"

      Satch stood in the doorway with his trumpet case and suitcase at his side. He had a forlorn expression on his face as his tail twitched nervously behind him. "Hey, guys. I just wanted to come and say goodbye."

      "Fine, fine! Goodbye," said Goldie. "Just be ready to rehearse when Billie....WHAT?!?"

      "Goodbye?" cried Bebop, rushing to Satch with Melvin in tow. "What do you mean goodbye? Where are you going?"

      Satch looked down at his tail sadly. "I'm quitting the band. Trust me, you guys would be better off."

      The Jazz Tones stared at the trumpet player, shock written all over their faces. Melvin turned and smacked Bebop upside the head. "You see what happens when you doubt the power of the foot?" he shouted, shaking his lucky Snowbunny's foot under his nose.

      Bebop roughly pushed his cousin aside. "Give it a rest, Mel! I don't get it, Satch. What about the contest? You can't bail on us now!"

      "Yes, I can!" Satch slithered over to one of the tables and sat down. "I've really loved playing with you guys. You've been like a second family to me and I know how badly you want to win the contest...that's why I'm quitting."

      Putting down his sax, Duke walked over to Satch and put an arm around his shoulders. "Satch, I don't know what's going through your mind right now, but you're about as clear as a foggy marsh in the summertime. Now you want to start from the beginning?"

      Satch sighed heavily. It was time to tell his friends his humiliating tale of woe. "All right. Before I came to the Bazaar, I had had an audition with a client from Neotunes studios, an Aisha named Miss Malba. She has this...thing against Hissies. She told me that Hissies couldn't be musicians and that nobody would ever warm up to the idea, no matter how good I was. And then I saw her again this afternoon, talking to some Uni. She said she was going to be the head judge at the contest tomorrow and would only choose the best of the best. That's why I have to quit, guys. If she sees me playing with you, she'll already have her answer. I'm doing it for you, I swear. Because of me, you'll never become famous."

           When Satch finished his story, the band looked at each other dumbstruck. "Why that stuck up little so-and-so!" snapped Goldie. "She probably wouldn't know talent if it bit her on the tail!"

      "Man, that is harsh," said Bebop, shaking his head. "I can't believe she didn't give you a fair chance."

      "And she won't give you guys a fair chance, either," said Satch. "Not if I play with you. So I'm going back to the swamp. It's where I belong anyway."

      "Now listen here, Satch!" said Duke softly. "This is going to sound harsh, but it's the truth. You can be the most popular, most handsome, and most heroic Neopet on the face of the planet and still meet people who'll have a problem with you. You can't meet everyone's standards, no matter how much you change. So you had a bad run-in with this Malba lady; that doesn't mean you throw in the towel. You take the hits, brush yourself off, and keep on going because eventually you'll meet someone who'll accept you for who you are and what you can do."

      "Like us," Goldie added, squeezing Satch's wing. "We don't care what some stuck up witch says. You're a great trumpet player and you deserve to be in the contest."

      "And you're a good friend," said Bebop. "You're like one of the coolest guys I've ever hung out with. And thanks to you, Slorg Slime is my new favorite pizza topping."

      "You're the luckiest thing that's ever happened to us," said Melvin. "Thanks to your trumpet skills, we've never sounded better! I bet even Miss Malba will change her mind."

      Satch felt his throat tighten with emotion as he looked around at his friends. He tried desperately to hold back the tears. "You guys really mean all that?"

      "Every word, Scales," said Bebop, giving him a playful nudge on the wing. "We don't care if you're a red Hissi, a royal Zafara, or a...."

      "Starry Cybunny?"

      The Jazz Tones turned to see their final member standing in the corner among the shadows, nervously clutching a paper bag. She was sniffing loudly and her shoulders shook, as if she was about to cry.

      "Billie! There you are, Sweetie!" said Goldie. "We were worried sick about you."

      Satch quickly slithered towards her. "Billie! Are you ok?"

      Billie looked at Satch for a moment, then turned to the rest of the band, still standing in the shadows. "Did you guys really mean all that you said? About accepting Satch even if this Malba lady won't like him?"

      "Of course, we did," said Duke. "We wouldn't trade Satch in for anything."

      "Sweetheart, you look kind of sick," said Goldie as she tried to coax Billie out of the shadows. "Come out in the light so I can have a better look at you."

      Billie stayed where she was and stared at Satch. He knew what was going through her mind. Apparently, she hadn't reapplied any sparkle paint yet. But he didn't want the others to see the fake Billie; he wanted her true colors to show.

      "It's ok, Billie," he said softly, reaching for her paw. "They'll understand."

      Although hesitant at first, Billie slowly took Satch's wing and stepped into the light. The other Jazz Tones gathered around her, studying her strange new color.

      "Billie!" cried Melvin. "Your fur! It's so...."

      "Gray," finished Bebop. "You're not all sparkly anymore. Are you coming down with something?"

      Billie shook her head. "No, Bebop. I am gray. I always have been, even before I joined the band. I've been using this sparkle paint to make me look silver."

      "What?" asked Goldie. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

      Billie struggled to keep her emotions in balance. "Be-because I was afraid y-you wouldn't like me, so I've been painting myself. But then S-Satch saw me and... then I-I heard you guys talking to him and... oooh, I'm so sorry!"

      Billie covered his face in her paws as fresh tears poured down her face. Being the ever nurturing mother-figure, Goldie pulled the small Cybunny into her wings and comforted her. "Gees, you kids today and your vanity. Everything we said to Satch goes double for you, Sweetie. We just want you to be happy."

      "Yeah," said Melvin. "Even though happiness is virtually impossible for a gray Neopet to accomp-OOF!" Melvin nursed his sore gut where Bebop had elbowed him.

      Unable to see her so upset, Satch placed his wing on Billie's trembling shoulder. "Billie, even though I don't have a problem with gray, if you want you can still use that potion I gave you."

      Billie sniffed. "No, Satch. I can't..."

      "Really, it's ok. I make a better Hissi, anyway."

      "No, I mean really, I can't! I gave it back."

      Satch blinked at Billie. "Gave it back? What do you mean?"

      Billie reached inside the paper bag and pulled out Satch's Jazzmosis fedora. "No Jazzmosis fan would be complete without this," she said as she handed it back to him

      Satch's jaw dropped. "My hat! B-but how...why?"

      "After you left the diner, I went looking for you. I met an old Chia that said he had seen you earlier and he told me what happened. It took some convincing, but I was able to trade him the potion and my tubs of sparkle paint."

      "You...you gave him your sparkle paint? All of it?"

      Billie nodded. "He said they would be discontinuing sparkle paint soon, so it'd be quite a collector's item. Besides, I was getting tired of putting that stuff on every day. It just didn't feel right, but I was too afraid of what people would think of me, especially the band...and you."

      Satch's tail twitched nervously. "Hey, if you don't have a problem with a scaly, red horn blower, then I don't have a problem with a sweet, gray keyboardist. I'll always stick by you, Billie."

      "We all will," said Duke, putting his arms around both Billie and Satch's shoulders.

      Bebop removed his sunglasses and wiped a tear from his eye. "Aw, this is so beautiful! Come on, everybody! Group hug!"

      The Jazz Tones laughed as they all shared a big, comfy group hug.

      "All right, all right, that's enough of that," said Goldie as she was the first to pull out of the huddled mass. "We got a contest to get ready for! Let's make some noise!"

To be continued...