Either Way - Written by : Lovon P.

Tony walked into the practice space, feeling good. His usual swagger was in full force as he threw his guitar bag down and cracked his knuckles. Today was supposed to be just another day of band practice, but something was off. The room felt... heavy. Derek, the lead guitarist, sat in the corner with his arms crossed, eyes fixed on the floor. Wes, the drummer, avoided eye contact, tapping nervously on the edge of his sticks.

 Jake, the bassist, looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here. Tony cleared his throat. “Yo, what’s up with y’all? Why y’all look like somebody died? ”No one spoke for a second. 

  Then Derek finally stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, man… we gotta talk.”Tony raised an eyebrow. “Talk about what? We ain’t got time for this. Practice starts in five.” 

Wes groaned, tossing his drumsticks down. “Tony, stop acting like you don’t know.”“Know what?” Tony shot back, his tone sharper now. He could feel something was wrong, and it was making his blood boil.

 Derek stepped forward, avoiding Tony’s gaze for a moment. “We’re kicking you out, bro.”Tony blinked. He let out a laugh, thinking it was some kind of joke. “Kicking me out?

 You serious?” Derek nodded. “Look, man, we just got the offer from the label. We’re getting signed, but… you’re too unpredictable. The label doesn’t want the drama.”

Tony’s heart sank, but his anger shot up even faster. “Drama? You mean the band I started? The one I named Heartless? You’re kicking me out? 

”“Yeah,” Jake mumbled. “It’s not like that, T. You’ve been… off. Missing rehearsals, getting into fights… it’s not good for the image, man.” Tony felt his fists clench.

 “Image? Is that what y’all care about now? What about the music?”Wes shrugged. “Music’s good, but business is business. We can’t risk it.”Tony stood there, a bitter taste in his mouth. They were really doing this. Kicking him out of his own band right before they made it big. Without another word, he grabbed his guitar and stormed out.

Tony sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. His phone buzzed in the cupholder. He glanced at it—Kesha. He hadn’t talked to his ex in a minute. Sighing, he picked it up. 

“Yo.”“Tony? Hey... could you pick me up from work? I’m stuck. Car’s dead,” she said, her voice softer than he remembered.He hesitated, then replied, “Yeah, I’m on my way.”

By the time they got back to Kesha’s apartment, the tension between them had melted into something familiar. After a little catching up, the awkwardness was gone, and the pull between them was undeniable. They didn’t say much. They didn’t need to. As the night ended and Tony slipped out of Kesha’s apartment, his mind was swirling with regret and passion, all mixed up.

 He thought about Laura—his girl—and Tyson, their newborn son. He thought about how everything was starting to crumble. How had it come to this? The next morning, Tony woke up to a text from Laura:

"Tyson’s out of diapers. We need formula. You got money?"

He stared at his phone. Money? He didn’t have a damn cent. And after getting kicked out of Heartless, there was no way he was getting any. Desperation kicked in fast.

That’s when the idea hit him: he could rob the liquor store down the block. He’d seen enough movies to know how it went down, right? Tony stood outside the liquor store, tugging at his ski mask, his hands shaking. He took a deep breath, walked in, and pulled out a gun.“ 

Alright, empty the register!” Tony yelled, his voice cracking halfway through. The cashier stared at him, wide-eyed. Tony waved the gun awkwardly, accidentally knocking over a display of beer cans with his elbow. “Dammit!”

The cashier moved slowly, putting the cash in a bag while Tony cursed under his breath, fumbling to zip his jacket. He grabbed the cash and ran out, heart pounding. It wasn’t until he got back to his car that he realized… he forgot to load the gun. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” he muttered, but a smirk crept onto his face. 

He got the money. That’s all that mattered. He split the cash. Half went to Laura, no questions asked. She was too busy with Tyson to push him about where it came from. The other half? 

 Studio time. Tony went straight to his brother Marcus, who was less than impressed with the liquor store story. “Man, you’re out here robbing stores like an idiot,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “You’re better than this, bro. Let’s hit the studio. That’s where you belong.”

  Tony nodded, defeated but relieved. They hit the studio that same day and poured everything into the song "Ether Way." Tony spilled his frustrations into the track—his struggles, his mess-ups, his confusion. The song was fire, no question about it. Marcus pushed him hard, like he always did, and by the end, Tony felt a little more like himself.

The buzz around the song was building, but trouble was right around the corner. Laura, driving home from a showing, spotted Tony outside with Kesha. She didn’t need to hear their conversation to know what was up. When Tony walked into the apartment later that night, Laura didn’t waste any time. She clocked him right in the face before he could say a word.“ Yo, chill!” Marcus shouted from the kitchen. 

 “That’s his money-maker!”“Shut up, Marcus!” Laura snapped. “I know about her, Tony. You think I’m dumb?”

Tony opened his mouth to explain, but before he could get a word out, the door burst open, and cops stormed in. The neighbors had tipped them off about the liquor store robbery. It was chaos—Laura yelling, Marcus trying to keep things cool, and Tony standing there, cuffed and speechless. It was like a bad dream.

Tony sat in the police station, staring at the wall. He was still a minor, so they let him off with a warning. As he walked out, his head a little clearer, he heard something that stopped him in his tracks—his song, "Ether Way," playing on the radio.He smiled. Maybe, just maybe, things were gonna turn around.