Tell Me What You Hate About Me

37: Pics Or It Didn't Happen

After a few minutes had gone by in silence and Harvey hadn't softened his stance on me leaving at all, there wasn't much to do except prove to everyone that I was, in fact, good at doing nothing. There was a small amount of water from the rain outside that had crept under the garage door and onto the floor, and the two guys I didn't know personally in the band scooted their stuff away from the water.

An awkward silence lingered in the air in the garage, and maybe it was because I damaged everyone's eardrums with my little freakout that caused the sound equipment to screech. But I had a feeling it was because there were two groups of people in that garage—one that knew exactly what was going on and couldn't afford to give it up, and one that was probably a little confused and terrified. After all, the two guys also didn't know me personally.

Maybe now was a good time to learn their names. We were going to be stuck together for at least a little while, so I gave them a smile. Hopefully, the talisman would do its job and erase their memories like I asked, and they'd forget me just as I had never bothered to remember them. There wasn't much else I could do, after all. The talisman had power (that I had obtained somewhat illegally), so it was too risky to call the cops, and it wasn't like I had anyone who cared enough to come find me besides Jack or maybe Sierra, and they were right there with me.

"Well, while I'm being held against my will here, I might as well introduce myself. I'm Lindsay—"

"We're aware," one of them interrupted, but neither of them gave me their name. Good start.

How did they expect me to remember them when we never even talked that much? No one ever remembered drummers or bass players, anyway.

But instead of taking that no for an answer, I walked up to the two of them with the talisman in my back pocket. Remember, talisman, how I asked you to destroy Harvey's and their memories of this misunderstanding? I extended my hand across the drum set to the taller one. "What was your name again? I'm sorry I can't remember."

Jack let out an audible gasp, and I turned around. It wasn't that shocking that I faked an apology.

But before I could get either one of their names, Dominic gestured to his side. "Lindsay, I told you to stay right here."

"What? This garage barely fits all of us and the band equipment, and you're gonna tell me that I can't wander around a little?" I dipped my shoe into the rainwater by the door. "If I won't do my homework that professors tell me to do, what makes you think that I'll listen to you?"

"What are you talking about now?" he said.

Wasn't my point clear? "I'm not gonna do what you tell me to. You're not my mother, and I don't even listen to her."

"Look, that shit is your business, and I didn't—" He hesitated for a moment, then looked around the garage to Jack, Sierra, Harvey, and the two still-unnamed guys. "Did you bring me here to kill me or something? Because that seems like something you would do, Lindsay."

Bring him here to kill him? What was he talking about?

"I don't even know who the hell you are," Harvey said. "Get out of my garage. We have a huge gig at Trailfest coming up in a few days, and we need all the practice in the world so we don't get booed off the stage by rich people."

My eyes widened. Either the talisman really listened to me, or we went back in time, and I definitely remembered Jack getting pissed at me because I decided that I would rather spend my time at my professor's house than his gig at a rich people gathering.

Dominic shook his head. "I've never heard any of your stuff, but if Lindsay likes it, it has to be dumpster music. You'll get booed no matter what."