Of Pain | COMPLETED

Chapter 31

‘Hey aren’t you guys Bang the Riot?’

The doors suddenly burst open, making everyone else turn and I felt my mouth drop open again to see a whole crew of people dragging in the drum kit, sound amplifiers and mikes. The other students were making sounds of amazement and they were all whispering amongst themselves.

‘Yeah we are!’ Darren replied to the boy with a charming smile on his face and then he addressed the other students who were looking at him. ‘We’re here to perform for you guys our new single!’ 

The whole room suddenly burst into cheers. I felt myself pale and looked at my band in shock. They left me sitting there wide-eyed to gather around in the middle of the cafeteria where the students pushed the tables aside to make space for the drum kits and everything else.

Rip remained standing in front of me and jerked his head to the band, holding his hand out towards me. I sighed heavily and got up from my seat, glancing at Mitchie before I left to grasp Rip’s strong hand as I passed him. ‘I really hate you guys,’ I told him somewhat unconvincingly.

‘You’re going to thank us some day,’ he answered me with a huge smile. ‘Besides I’m going to sing with you so you don’t have to worry about it. I’d be providing Seth the back-up guitar because this song needs two electric in it. We are so rocking this school. Your friends will love you more.’

‘I know my team loves me Rip, you don’t have to tell me,’ I replied him cheekily which made him roll his eyes at me as we stopped in front of the mike stands. ‘Stop doing that, your eyes might get stuck at the wrong direction.’

‘Ha-ha very funny Nirvana,’ he said after staring at the shirt that I was wearing underneath my letterman jacket I had borrowed from Mitchie earlier in the day. ‘That’s a nice album From the Muddy Banks of Wishkah; I didn’t know you’re into the grunge scene.’

I ignored him and paid attention to the other boys who were setting up around me. Connor was busy arranging the drum set and aiming the microphones that it could be heard clearly while he played. Both Darren and Seth were ready, just plugging in the chord into the amp before adjusting their pedals.

The sound tech guys were busy rolling out the wires and connecting everything to the amplifiers and making sure that everything was switched on while there was Elizabeth and another guy holding onto cameras. I think they were already rolling their video since they were aiming at us.

‘Nervous Ally?’ Darren asked me.

I pursed my lip and glanced back at the crowd who were looking at us with anticipation. I could see Mitch, Liam and the rest of the team looking at me with huge smiles on my faces. Blake was the only who was looking at me with a frown on his face. I could feel the fear in my chest but I pushed them down because I’m doing what I loved to do.

‘A little though,’ I admitted and glanced around the mini-stage that they had made in the middle of the cafeteria. This is so last minute. ‘What songs are we playing?’

‘Any random songs,’ Seth replied me.

‘Punk version of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep would be the first one,’ Rip said a beat after shocked silence from me and gave me a slight smirk at the way I was looking at the boys. If looks could kill, the boys would already be dead a couple of times.  ‘You do know the lyrics to her song right?’

‘I hate you guys,’ I retorted back but lacked conviction as I said it and that made the boys burst into laughter at my failed attempt.

About five minutes later, everything was set. The sound crew was satisfied with everything and they hovered away, in case of anything happens. Seeing Chad hovering near the soundboard to check the sound also seeing both Elizabeth and the other guy armed with camcorders, I think everything and everyone is ready.