The Rich Boy in a Rock Band

Song 34 ♪ Sing, Sing

Since we were pretty much on lockdown, it meant that we had a lot of time on our hands. A week went by after the incident and it felt like all of us were changed.

Ayrton came back to school. He told everybody who wanted to listen that it was because he didn't want to bother his aunt anymore. I rolled my eyes and let him say whatever floated his boat but I knew that he was brimming with excitement to be back. He was the one who helped us find a good charity to donate his dad's money to, though, and we all gleefully got together at the library after school one day to write letters of encouragement signed by the estate of Senator Albert Winters of Florida. We couldn't wait to see his reaction after the media picked up on it.

One Friday evening we were all lounging on the grass by the lake. The air already had a certain bite of fall chill, so I was in my sweatpants and a fluffy sweater I'd got a couple of years ago.

Addy poked at it. "I like this, where is it from?"

"Target," I said with a grin.

Dead serious she said, "They make the best stuff." Which I found funny, knowing that she was hardcore into fashion and wanted to pursue it as her long term career. She flipped open her sketchbook and passed a few sheets of paper around to the rest. "Check out some ideas I have. Maybe one of those would be a cool logo for the band."

Madison twirled her hair as she pointed at one. "I like this one. Makes me think of fangs."

Link's eyebrows went up. "I'd have thought that would be a bit, um, too goth of a look for you."

The girl's fingers froze as she stopped playing with her hair, the better to focus her might onto glaring at him. "Do I look like I'm into Barbies or some girly type shit?"

"Actually, yeah."

Apparently that had been the wrong answer, because it earned him a punch to the arm. That sent Quinn's head falling off her lap and he groaned a complaint that Madison drowned with kisses to his face.

"Why don't we record a music video?" Ayr asked. "We could put it up on Youtube and start racking up a following that way."

"Not a terrible idea, except for the part where we're stuck at school," Madison said.

"So what?" Ashton said then, resting his chin on his fist. "It's an awesome idea-"

Ayrton cut him off, "Thank you, clone."

His brother ignored the comment and continued. "We could use the music room as the setting. Link can produce the song with his equipment and we can just record the video with our iPhones."

Lincoln nodded, and was about to say something when I gasped, realizing something crucial.

"Wait, wait. Me? On camera?" My eyes went wide as saucers. "On Youtube?"

They all looked at me like I was crazy. It was Madison who dared to ask, "You have taken pictures of yourself, right? They're called selfies. Have you seen your own face that way before?" I rolled my eyes, annoyed that she sounded like Leti and about to spit some snark at her when she said, "Because it's not terrible. I don't know what you're afraid of."

Addy lifted her hand as if asking for a pause. "Wow, did I just hear Madison Hollingsworth compliment somebody else?"

"Yeah, savor it. It's not gonna last."

I caught Ashton gazing at me as though he also didn't think my face was all that terrible.

"That's all well and good, but which song are we recording out of the handful we have?" Link asked.