She's Got the Rhythm

Chapter Five: Band Practice

            “What about a click-track?” I suggested.

            “A click-track?” the guys looked at me questionably.

            “Yeah, I mean, it would work, we could solve the issue of actually playing together. If I’m right with the beat on the track, then I’ll be right with you guys,” I assumed.

            “Makes sense, let’s try that,” Ryan put his guitar aside and went to go get me a pair of headphones and some cables that would hook up to his computer so I could hear the click track. The click track basically sounds where all the beats should be for you, so you don’t lose it or slow down. After all, if you slow down, then you mess up the entire group, which we did not want to happen.

            He came back a few minutes later with a big pair of headphones that he connected to his computer.

            I fit the large headphones around my head and adjusted the volume.

            “Good?” I heard him ask me.

            I nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

            He started the track a moment later, and we were off. It made things a lot easier, knowing I was exactly with them without having to worry.

            “I think that’s better,” Brian commented after we had finished.

            “A lot better,” Blake declared.

            “Awesome, break time, shall we guys?” Ryan announced.

            “Oh yes, I’m ordering pizza,” Brian already had his phone out.

            “Well, well, look who showed up,” Blake crossed his arms over his chest as Caleb walked into the room.

            If I wasn’t mistaken, he looked kind of drunk, his eyes were red and his hair was messy and dirty.

            “You alright, man?” Ryan asked, clearly seeing what I had seen.

            “Yeah, yeah,” he waved him off as if nothing was wrong.

            Ryan and I exchanged quizzical looks.

            “Where have you been?” Blake still had the same demanding look on his face.

            “Uh, with Becky,” he answered.

            “Uh-huh.”

            “Can we just play man? I’ve only got like thirty minutes. She’s waiting in the car for me,” Caleb said.

            “Sure,” we ran through our set list again until it was time for him to go.

            When he left, we all gathered in Ryan’s kitchen, ate pizza and talked.

            “So, what the hell was up with him?” Blake asked as he bit into a slice of veggie pizza.

            “No clue,” I stared down the bottom of my plastic cup which was filled with Coke.

            “I don’t get it. He’s ruining the band man,” Brian claimed.

            “No kidding,” I said and the guys nodded their heads in agreement.

            “Becky like controls him and he’s her little bitch,” Ryan explained.

            “Agreed,” Blake said.

            “I hate to say it, but I don’t think he’s doing anything good for the band,” I contemplated this as I chewed on a piece of pepperoni.

            “So, what do you think we should do? Just kick him out?” Brian questioned.

            “No, we can’t do that. He’s our friend. I’ll talk to him and get things straightened out. He has to understand,” Ryan decided for all of us.

            “Alright, but if he doesn’t show up and commit, then he’s out,” Blake said sternly.

            “Deal,” Ryan agreed.

            An hour later, Blake and Brian had left, and it was just Ryan and me. We stayed in his room, just talking. I never realized how easy he was to talk to; I told him everything-how I had hated playing the drums and then come to love it, how I was afraid what people would think of me, how I had almost lost hope in myself.

            He listened to every word, without interrupting me. It was perfect silence from him, I was mesmerized. When I finished, he told me, “I think it’s great what you’re doing, really.”

            “Thanks, it’s good to hear that,” I had told him.

            He reached over and his hand brushed the corners of my mouth. “You had a piece of cheese there,” he explained.

            At the moment, I didn’t really care though.

            Instead, I just sat there staring back at him like an idiot. Wow, now thinking about it, I wish I would have said something.

            Luckily enough, he leaned and kissed me on the lips-again.

            I was lost in that moment. On the bright side, it was good to know that he had kissed me first but it was strange to think that he liked me. Wasn’t there a set of unwritten rules that you shouldn’t date the people in your band? I know it sounds stupid, but I hadn’t really given it much thought before. Would it somehow ruin the band’s potential?

            Once we pulled away, I played it smooth and said I better get going- that it was past my curfew. This was a lie as it was only nine-thirty, on a Friday night, but I really didn’t want to risk getting in trouble.

            “Alright, I’ll see you later,” he looked kind of sad now, like he hadn’t wanted me to leave, but I couldn’t take anything back so I said my good-byes and promised to call him later.

            As I shut the front door behind me, I thought: Oh god, what have I done?