Over the Hills and Far Away

This is a short story inspired by my mom and the movies Detroit Rock City and Dazed and Confused (great movies). I want to eventually turn this into a longer piece.




It was a hot, sticky afternoon. Tessa, Erica, and Sherri, the three musketeers, as they liked to call themselves, were out lounging by the pool in Erica’s backyard. They wore string bikinis suitable for tanning, and chatted like a group of teenage friends would. There was only one thing on Tessa’s mind, though, and Sherri could not understand what the big deal was.

“I don’t even know why you guys like them so much,” Sherri said.

Erica and Tessa rolled their eyes.

“It’s just a bunch of . . . noise.”

“Whatever, Sherri. It’s a hell of a lot better than ABBA,” Erica shot back.

Tessa laughed.

“Oh, fuck you. I do not like ABBA.”

Tessa and Erica laughed harder.

“Me and Tessa already have everything all figured out. I’m going to marry Robert, Tessa’s going to marry Jimmy, and then we’ll live with them in their castles in Europe,” Erica said, and then sighed whole-heartedly as she tucked a gold lock of hair behind her ear.

As long as Tessa had been old enough to truly appreciate and love music – real music, not that soft-core pansy crap played on variety shows, she had only one real goal in life. At the ripe ol’ age of sixteen, certain things were supposed to be high on the to-do list, things like graduating high school, landing a date with a hot guy, or even losing one’s virginity, but not according to Tessa. There was really only one aspiration, festering inside like a bad STD refusing to clear up, that really mattered. The one thing she knew she had to accomplish before the day her last breath was taken was to see Led Zeppelin, live, in concert.

“Good luck girls,” Sherri mocked. She quickly changed the subject, sitting up on her elbows, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders. “Oh my god,” she began, “so I think I have a thing for Bobby.”

That should have been a red flag, waving frantically in front of Tessa’s face, but she did not want to acknowledge it or think that one of her best friends would stab her in the back just for attention. Besides, Sherri was not even a fan of Led Zeppelin, or of music, really.

Sure, Led Zeppelin was just a rock and roll band, a group of four guys from England banging out music together. But to Tessa, in the summer of 1977, ripe from her sixteenth birthday, Led Zeppelin was her life and Jimmy Page was her future husband.

Landing tickets to see Zeppelin live in Southern California meant camping out in front of the ticket booth for days in advance. Tessa had absolutely no problem with this, but her parents did. No amount of whining, begging, or even bribing could change their minds.

So when Erica called Tessa weeks ago with the news, it could not have sounded better if it were coming from God’s lips himself.

“He did it. He fucking did it!” Erica shouted into the phone, rattling Tessa’s ear canal. “My brother scored four tickets to Led Zeppelin at the Coliseum on July 23rd. And you know what that means? You and me are finally going!”

“Wait. Seriously?!” Tessa clarified, her pulse starting to rise. She wiped the red waves from her face and quickly sat up on her bed. “Rick did it? He actually has them?”

“Yep! I saw them and personally held them in my hand. God, Tessa, you’ve never seen anything more beautiful in your whole life.”

By the time school had wrapped up for the year, Tessa had already decided that she was finally going to make things happen for herself. She was finally sixteen, practically an adult, and Erica’s news was only the beginning.

Erica was a Led Zeppelin fan as well, though she did not love them nearly as passionately as Tessa. Even though, she was just as excited to share in the excitement of finally getting to see them live. And on July 23th, Tessa, Erica, her older brother, Rick, and his good friend, Bobby, were going to fulfill this unrelenting dream of Tessa’s.

As she stretched out by the pool in Erica’s backyard, just days away from seeing the concert she was born to see, she could not make her mind focus on anything else. Tessa could give a shit who Sherri now had a thing for. It was always someone new. And it really was not shocking that Sherri had set her sights on Bobby, a guy most girls developed big fat crushes on. He was very attractive, and Tessa had once been interested in him, that is before Frankie Halloway stepped into her algebra class last September.

As Tessa thought about it, how she and Erica felt about Led Zeppelin and music was in a way similar to how Sherri felt about the male species, partying, and getting her way. Because of this, no one felt bad that Sherri would not be joining them for the night of a lifetime.

As Sherri went on about Bobby, Tessa imagined the specifics: how awesome Led Zeppelin would sound, how dreamy Robert Plant would look in front of a microphone, and how incredibly sexy Jimmy Page would be in person with a guitar in hand, making sweet, sweet, music.

“Do you think he’ll go out with me?” Sherri asked.

Tessa rolled her eyes again. Of course Bobby would. Sherri always got what she wanted.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you go inside and prance around in your bikini? He’ll be sure to notice your chest,” Erica told her.

Sherri shot her a glare from behind her sunglasses, but then lowered them. “Is he in there?”

“Oh, for the love of god, just go inside,” Tessa pleaded.

Sherri grinned, and then jumped up and disappeared through the sliding glass door.

“She is such a slut,” Erica mumbled.

“Yet we love her,” Tessa added.

They giggled, and then decided to jump into the pool to cool their tanned skin.

A week later, Sherri and Bobby were dating, a fact that surprised no one. It was then that Tessa started to worry. Rick was taking his sister to the show, and the leftover ticket, Tessa’s, was really Bobby’s extra. Since he was now dating Sherri, would he then decide to take her along to the concert instead?

Tessa shuddered at the thought. Even if he did ask Sherri, she wouldn’t want to go. Besides, she knew how much this night meant to Tessa. She wouldn’t steal that away just to hook up with a guy she probably wouldn’t be dating in three months anyway.

But just days before the concert, Tessa got a call from Erica. There was something wrong in her voice, something very unusual about the tone she used, something she could not place.

“Tessa,” she said slowly, “you’re going to be so upset.”

Tessa’s heart began to pound inside her chest, threatening to explode. Something was definitely wrong, and she could not bring herself to think of what this call could be about. Sherri wouldn’t.

“I don’t want to be the one to tell you this,” Erica said, and then paused as she gathered up strength. “So you know how your ticket to the concert is really Bobby’s?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Tessa whispered, her voice shaky.

“Well, like an asshole,” Erica continued, her voice more harsh, “he’s decided to take Sherri. Which means . . .”

Now that Tessa had heard it out loud, she had time to react to the anger filling her blood with liquid fire.

“What?!”

“I’m so sorry.”


“She doesn’t even like them!”

“You know how she is, though,” Erica said.
Indeed she did. They both did. Sherri craved attention, needed it like a junkie needed a fix. She was selfish and did things just to prove she could. And up until now, Tessa had never been made victim to her egocentric behavior. Making out with Erica’s boyfriend over Christmas break almost ruined the three musketeers. Stealing Tessa’s chance to finally see the band she loved was completely unforgivable.

“She can’t go if she can’t walk,” Tessa growled and then slammed the phone against the receiver.

Without thinking, she picked it back up and dialed the familiar number. Of course that little slut wasn’t answering her phone. Tessa threw the useless device across the room, out of sight from her racing mind.

Alone with her thoughts, just her breathing and Houses of the Holy playing softly in the background, Tessa had time to feel something else, and burst into tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the things Tessa could do on that clear hot evening, like attend any of the numerous parties being thrown, score a trip on the back of a Harley with a greasy biker she barely knew, go for a joyride with Steve in his ramshackle truck, or finally ask out Frankie Halloway, she had only two things on her mind: find Sherri, tear her limb from limb, and get her ass to Oakland.

The days leading up to the night of the Led Zeppelin concert had been extremely painful. Tessa thought she might actually die from heartache, feeling as though a semi truck had plowed her down. But she managed to take out her frustrations on those who deserved it.

Walking home from Erica’s house just days before, she actually ran into Sherri and Bobby.

“You unbelievable bitch!” Tessa screeched, and then lunged at her without waiting for a response from either of them.

Bobby of course, like a dumbass, grabbed hold of her before she could get her hands around Sherri. Being number two on her hit list, she punched Bobby in the face instead.

“Tessa!” Sherri gasped.

“You crazy bitch!” he yelled, his hand flying up over his nose.

“You know what, fuck both of you,” Tessa glared, and then with more speed than she realized, continued home.

It was then that she decided. Even if she did not actually possess a ticket, Tessa was going to get to that concert. If her friendship meant anything to Sherri, then when Tessa confronted her in front of the Coliseum, she would have to let Tessa take her place. And if not, then Tessa swore on every fiber that held her woven together that she would never speak to Sherri again, and another way inside that venue would have to be found. A partner in crime was needed, and no one fit that bill better than Steve.

“So what you’re saying is that you want me to drive you out there so you can confront her and steal her ticket?”

Tessa shrugged. “Well, not exactly, but yeah.”

He clapped his hands together. “Hell, I’m in. There’s nothing better than a catfight out front of a Zeppelin concert.”

Tessa laughed and rolled her eyes.

“But there’s one condition.”

“That being?” she asked, folding her arms.

Steve grinned. “We take a little detour. There’s gonna be this kick ass party in Citrus Heights.”

“Citrus Heights?” Tessa groaned. “That’s not even on the way.”

His grin grew. Tessa sighed.

The thing about Steve was that he could never resist a good party. He was the epitome of a wild child and did things for a good time or to scare the crap out of other people. He knew, just as everyone else, that he was going to die before the age of thirty, preferably on his motorcycle. Erica could not understand why Tessa hung out with him, but Tessa had known Steve for years. What Erica didn’t see that Tessa did was a big heart. Steve was the most loyal friend anyone could ever ask for, and a night with him meant a night of unforgettable events.

“I guess I don’t really have a choice, now do I?” Tessa said. “I need that piece of shit truck of yours.”

Steve laughed. “I promise you, Tessa, you’ll get what you’re looking for.”

She could only hope that Steve meant Led Zeppelin, and a crippled Sherri.

“Oh, and Deb’s coming,” Steve added.

Tessa looked over at him with alarm. “Seriously? Deb?”

“Yep.”

She burst into laughter. “Really?”

Steve grinned.

“I wasn’t aware that you guys had hung out since art class.”

He shrugged. “We haven’t. But I ran into her today on the way over and told her about the party.”

“Hmm. All right.”

“What?”

Tessa laughed again. “Nothing. Deb’s sweet. I like her, she’s just real sweet. Goody goody.”

“Well, we’ll just have to fix that, won’t we?”

Tessa sighed. “We’re such good influences.”

As the day slowly started to slip away, Tessa could not control the emotional mixture that stirred inside her core. She and Steve collected Deb and wasted no time finding trouble.

“I can’t believe you still have this!” Tessa laughed, pulling out the little squeeze horn from under the seat.

“Well, I thought it might come in handy someday.”

“Is that a bike horn?” Deb asked.

Tessa and Steve grinned at one another. Up until this point, Deb had remained very quiet between Steve and Tessa as the beast of a truck moved noisily through the streets of town.

“Yeah,” Steve said, “I swiped it off some bike in the park one day.”

Tessa shook her head. “Of course you would.”

She looked over at Deb on her left. Sweet, quiet, shy, Deb. Tessa rolled the window down all the way. When the truck came to a stop at a red light, Tessa pulled out the horn and stuck it, along with her head, out the window, and yelled and honked the horn at those on the sidewalk.

As the truck started driving again, Tessa pulled her head back inside. She looked over at Deb.

“You’re turn,” she told her, handing over the horn.

Deb’s eyes widened. “Um, I don’t think so.”

Tessa smiled. “Why not?”

“I just . . . I don’t think so.”

Tessa shrugged, but she already knew Deb’s response before she spoke. She stretched her gaze over to Steve.

“So, how long are we gonna be at this party? It’s about an hour drive to Oakland, and I need to get there in time to find Sherri,” she said, her tone turning bitter at the mention of her former friend’s name.

“Relax, Tessa. We’ll get there. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Not on purpose, Steve. I just know how you are when you’ve been drinking.”

“Stop worrying and have some fun. That’s the whole point of tonight, right?”

Tessa sighed. He made it sound so easy, like today was just another summer day and it was no big deal, but she could not help but worry. Today was not just another day, and tonight was not just another party night. Today was July 23rd. Today was the first day of a two-day Led Zeppelin concert. And Tessa was supposed to be apart of it.

Though Steve meant well, he always drank too much when it came to free alcohol. He could always be counted on to be the first one drunk. If he got wasted before Oakland, then Tessa would be screwed, and she would never get to that concert before Led Zeppelin took stage.

Steve turned onto a small, narrow road. Up the street a bit were a few cars parked on the side, bordering a small pub equipped with a pool table, a few pinball machines, and greasy fried food. He slowed the speed of the truck.

“Holy shit,” he said in awe, though his eyes had a devilish gleam to them.

“What?” asked Deb.

He did not respond right away, and Tessa’s nerves at once began to kick inside her stomach.

“It’s that son of a bitch, Jay.”

He and Steve had never gotten along, and the hatred only thickened after Jay had slept with Steve’s sister.

Tessa noticed Jay’s firebird parked on the side of the road. Jay was inside it, but the driver’s side door was wide open. Steve’s grin turned crooked as the fire in his eyes grew, and stomped down on the gas pedal, lurching the truck forward as it growled loudly.

“What’s happening?” Deb asked.

Tessa looked over at her and her panic. She did not know for sure, but Steve was going to do something to that shiny little car.

“Steve,” Tessa began slowly. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

He laughed, sounding like a maniac in a loony bin. Tessa swallowed hard.

One minute they had been watching Jay from the end of the street, and the next they were speeding towards his car, in a direct line of impact. Before Tessa or Deb could protest, the massive truck plowed into the open door of the firebird, tearing it loudly from the hinges at once and sending it flying into the street. The speed of the truck never faltered, and it continued flying down the pavement.

Deb screamed at collision, though the truck had hardly jostled.

“What the fuck!” Tessa screamed.

Steve only laughed, never stopping the truck, driving as fast as possible before Jay could fully respond, still screaming in his car, or before a crowd could rush out to find the damage.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Deb panicked. “Are we dead? Am I dead?”

Tessa patted her leg, still in shock. “No, not dead. Not even scratched.” She glared over at Steve. “You stupid asshole! What the hell was that? Are you not even going to stop to see what you did to the front of your truck?”

He laughed and shrugged. “Nothing too bad, since I’m still driving.”

“I knew you were crazy,” Deb began, but did not finish her thought, still mortified. “Is it okay if I find another way home?”

Tessa laughed then. Could she blame Deb?

“This isn’t a normal night,” Tessa promised her.

Deb nodded, but Tessa was sure Deb thought they were both insane. Steve had just ruined some guy’s car for the hell of it, and Tessa still hung out with him despite it. Tessa shook her head. Perhaps she was crazy. After all, she was planning to drive an hour away just so she could get the chance to talk her way into seeing some band.

They finally arrived at the party, an outdoor gathering of young adults and teenagers under a water tower, tucked behind some trees and a greenish-brown field.

As soon as the truck stopped, Deb pushed past Tessa to escape the confines of the vehicle, a deathtrap in disguise.

“Do you think she’ll ever hang out with us again?” Steve asked.

“Hmm. Probably not.”

Steve went to find the keg and mingle, but Tessa could not focus on anything around her. Laughter, shouting, beer, faces she new from school, and those she did not. Everything blurred, and she paced back and forth and nervously played with her hands to pass the time that never seemed to move. Waiting had never been a good quality of hers. When Tessa had her mind set on something, she wanted to accomplish it right then and there. And right then, Tessa had a show to catch.

After a half hour had torturously ticked by, Tessa moved through the bodies to find her ride. It wasn’t hard to find him. He was the idiot who had climbed to the top of the water tower, two more idiots following in his lead.

She closed her eyes tightly. “Shit.”

Why did I agree to this? she scolded herself.

The minutes were stacking up, and if she did not start her journey soon, she would never make it to the concert in time.

“How drunk is he?” Tessa asked the person standing closest to her.

“I don’t know.”

Tessa looked over at the boy next to her, unimpressed by his lack of information, and was shocked to see Frankie Halloway.

He smiled softly. “Hey, Tessa.”

She momentarily forgot how to talk. “Oh, hey,” she finally said.

“You here with Steve?” he asked, looking up at the 150 foot high water tower.

“He’s my ride,” she admitted.

He looked over at her. “I’m sorry.”

She laughed, and then sighed. “I guess I should have known this was going to happen. I mean, he already ripped the door off of some car.”

“Wait, that was him?” Frankie asked.

She was surprised that word had gotten around so quickly. “Does that really surprise you?”

He laughed. “Not really.”

She sighed again. “He’s supposed to take me to Oakland.”

“Tonight?”

Tessa nodded sadly. “I was so determined to see Zeppelin. Steve had good intentions. He’s actually a decent guy. He just gets . . . carried away,” she said, and glared up at him on top of the tower.

Frankie’s eyes widened. “Are you supposed to go to that concert?”

She bit the side of her lip. “Well, it’s a long story. Let’ just say I was going to fight my way in. Literally.”

Frankie’s grin grew. “Well, you know, they are playing another show tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, but I was supposed to go to this one.”

He looked up at Steve, and then back at her. “I’m not doing anything tomorrow night.”

Her heart lurched inside her chest.

“I can take you into the city, and we can fight our way in together.”

She tried to hide the shock, but was unsuccessful. Frankie laughed.

“Wait, so you’re saying you’ll take me to Oakland tomorrow, just so we can try and get into a sold out Led Zeppelin concert?”

“Well,” he said slowly, “I want you to stay. And they’re your favorite, right?”

Her cheeks grew red. “How did you know that?”

His smile softened. “It’s not hard to figure out. You have Led Zeppelin written all over your notebooks, and jeans, even, and I hear you humming their songs when you walk into class.”

Tessa laughed with embarrassment. “Right.”

She took a deep breath as she thought over his offer. Realistically, what were the chances of getting into that concert tonight anyway? There would be hundreds of people pushing their way inside that stadium, and she had to find just four of them.

“Are you sure you’re up for it? Apparently, I’m kinda crazy.”

She gazed up into Frankie’s glistening eyes, beaming down on her as if she held the moon. Perhaps the night would not be a total loss after all.

“Absolutely.”


Check out this awesome live Zep song (the inspiration for my title)


And because I love Led Zeppelin so much, my top 5 favorite Zeppelin songs!
1. Misty Mountain Hop
2. Hey, Hey What Can I Do
3. That's the Way
4. Houses of the Holy
5. tie between Ramble On and Over the Hills and Far Away (duh)
Actually, I love a lot of Zeppelin songs, so I have more favorites than these