"So we stand here now and no one knows us at all
I won't get used to this
I won't get used to being gone." -Franklin
"It's about time you showed up." Gabriel muttered as the door swung open with so much force that I nearly toppled backwards from the its motion. I squinted against the gleam from the glass door, covering above my eyes with my palm, trying to focus in on Gabriel's blurry figure. His arm was placed across the doorway, blocking my way of entry.
As I my eyes adjusted, I concluded from the scowl on his face that I was pretty much either late, or the guy was PMSing. His bushy eyebrows jumbled together as he analyzed my appearance, possibly judging me from my helmet hair, and wrinkled clothing. In fact, the same clothing from when he'd last seen me in school. A black Asking Alexandria shirt, yellow skinny jeans, and combat boots. Way to make an appearance.
"Nice to see you too," I quirked an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest and tilting my head to see underneath his arms and into the home. The interior of the house, err- mansion, was enormous; just like the exterior was. When Drake had given me his address, I never even considered the fact that he might've been loaded. Something told me that by the cobblestone walkway, iron wrought gates, beautiful garden (complete with a fountain), and his home being the spitting image of the White House, that perhaps Drake may have a bit too much money. "Are you letting me in or not?"
Gabriel opened his mouth to object but was cut off when we heard footsteps echoing through the hardwood floors inside the mansion.
"Gabriel!" A voice called out his name, and Gabriel turned around to see who had spoken. I took this as an advantage and ducked underneath his arms, skidding into the house and nearly tripping as my combat boots slipped on the floor.
"Sorry, the maid just polished." Another voice, different from the first person who had spoken, interjected. Drake popped up beside me, a sheepish look in his face. He wore sweats and a Black Veil Brides tee. "Oh, and welcome to the Mallone residance, by the way."
I fixed a monotonous stare at him and merely shrugged, "Uhm... thanks." Glancing around the spacious area now that I was past the guard dog, my eyes roamed around, taking in the sight with such an awe that I would never reveal to these boys.
We were in the grate room, from what I could tell. A lovely mahagony desk was placed against one of the peach colored walls, and on top were beautiful flower arrangements. Paintings and photographs of Drake's family littered the ornate walls along with the snow white doors on either side, and I felt both claustrophobic and free at the same time.
Past the hallway, I picked out the kitchen, which had four ovens from my vantage point, and the living room with beige couches that blended into a mixture with the light green walls. "I never expected you would live someplace like... here." I added as an afterthought.
Drake placed a dramatic hand over his heart, giving me a horrified look that was so cheesy that my lips quirked up slightly. "What? Did you think I wasn't good enough to be rich?" I rolled my eyes in response, very well about to reply sarcastically when we were interrupted again.
"Stop messing with her, man." Zac laughed, standing a few feet away from us with a glass of lemonade in hand. He took a sip of his drink while waving hey to me at the same time. I gave him a mocking salute in return. I almost smiled at his VersaEmerge shirt, thinking of that 'date' with Blake but instead, I remained impassive.
"Whatever, now that she's here, we can practice." Gabriel said gruffly, finally recovering from the confusion when he noticed I wasn't outside anymore, and shouldered past Drake. He didn't spare me a glance before walking swiftly past Zac, taking his friend's lemonade, and disappearing down the winding set of stairs leading down into the depths of Drake's home.
"I was drinking that." Zac pouted, his small lips curling into a frown. Drake shook his head with a chuckle and gestured for me to go ahead.
"So, we usually practice in the basement, Lacey. It's right that way where Gabe disappeared off to." Drake explained, walking past the door he just pointed out.
"Where are you going?" I asked after him, bending down to shrug Rev out of my boot.
"To get more lemonade. You'll find out sooner or later that it's Zac's kryptonite, and that if he doesn't get any, he'll be as grouchy as Gabriel." Drake called back, his voice lost in the never-ending hallways. As I listened to the clinks of glass coming from the kitchen, I turned to Zac, giving him a curious look.
Zac shrugged with a sheepish expression. "What can I say? I love me some lemonade."
"Are you guys coming or not?" Gabriel's annoyed huff imminated from past the basement door and Zac sighed, running a hand through his shaggy, black hair.
"Come on, we shouldn't ignore the princess any longer." That caused a small snicker to fly out my lips, and Zac grinned, walking towards where the basement entrance was. "Ladies first."
I twirled my drum sticks expertly in my hands before giving one last look at the beautiful ground level of the mansion and heading down the staircase into the basement. "Oh, Zac, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Is Xander here yet?"
"Oh, yeah. He's already downstairs. He was helping prep up but I think we kind of ditched him when you answered the door." Zac laughed, the strength of his voice telling me that he wasn't that far behind me.
"Nice. Let me guess. Female at the door. Male hormones. Bored as hell?"
"Bingo." said Zac with a grin as we touched down on the carpeted floor. And as soon as my feet touched the ground, I felt like I was in paradise. I could feel my jaw metaphorically dropping to the ground in amazement.
I expected a drab interior with a worn-out couch, ratty old television, pizza boxes littering the floor, and a few instruments and amps lying around at the mention of the word "basement." I mean, that's what a guy's hangout looks like, right? But this completely surpassed my expectations.
Beautiful, vintage posters of legendary rock bands from the 80's were framed in gold, each placed symmetrically on all four, light grey walls. There were three red leather couches opposite a flat screen teleision, a coffee table, and a black recliner on top of an oriental rug towards the far left of the room.
On the direct opposite side was a recording studio; like a legit recording studio that I imagined I could find at Infinite Records itself. The sound board held numerous amounts of brightly colored buttons and flashing lights. The glass divider between the soundproof recording room shone underneath the flourescent lighting.
In the middle of the room was a small elevated stage, that held all the equipment; the amps, the guitars, the microphones. . . My breath caught in my throat.
The drum set.
"Is that a Spaun TL Series?" I choked out, my hand that held Rev twitched in excitement.
"Yep. It was worth a fortune, but I think it's worth it." Drake's reply came from behind me. "Here's some lemonade for everyone, by the way." He held out a glass towards me but I was caught in a daze, drifting towards the set.
"Dude, can I?" I breathed, reaching a tender hand out towards the drum set, but wavering over top it as if I were afraid I was going to break it upon impact. The set was painted a sleek black, with bright red roses painted onto the sides. Even the cymbals were decorated with thorn designs.
Drake laughed heartily as he handed Zac his lemonade and placed the rest on the table. "Knock yourself out. You don't even have to ask. I mean, you are going to be playing on it."
I smirked lightly, stroking the hi-hats gently before scooting around the bass drum to get to the cushioned seat behind the set. "Pinch me, I'm dreaming." I muttered under my breath.
"Hey, I don't even get acknowledged?" Xander's elbow perched on the snare as he gave me an teasing smirk.
"Xander, get off the Spaun!" I yelled, slapping his hand away. He rolled his eyes at me and I craned my head up to see him. He, unlike the rest of Chasing Avenues, wore a shirt from Aeropostle and dark-washed blue jeans. His blue eyes gleamed and I noticed he had a Gibson strapped to his back.
When his gaze connected with mine, I blanked, exploring its depth to see if there was a sign of any mistrust, or anger. Yet there was nothing. Had Olivia or Carter told him yet? I should be glad he didn't know, but instead I was filled with an emotion I couldn't comprehend, wondering why I even cared what my 'friends' thought about me in the first place.
"Alright, alright. Sheesh. Hello to you too, Carson." He murmured, holding his hands up in surrender.
A loud clap from the center of the stage drew everyone's attention to Gabriel. He held a microphone cord in one hand, and the ever-present scowl was on his face. I was starting to wonder if that was his only expression. "Okay guys, well, welcome to Drake's house-"
"We know that already!" Drake hooted from Gabriel's left, strumming an obnoxious chord on his Fender. Gabriel flipped him off while Zac laughed.
"Anyway, this is where we'll spend the majority of our practices since Drake's got a studio, and this basement is pretty much soundproof," Gabriel continued. "And as you know already, Xander and Lacey, we're Chasing Avenues."
Xander shot me a grin which I returned with a twitch of my lips.
"We're going to run through some warm-ups first before we actually settle down and explain to you guys the songs we've decided we're going to audition with for the contest." Zac explained, putting on the strap for his bass.
Gabriel tossed Drake the cord which he plugged into a nearby amp. He added, "First things first, we play hard rock and alternative music. None of that pop shit. So, do you guys know artists like Skillet, Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, etc.?"
"Of course," I scoffed, adjusting the seat height of my chair. "But you're missing My Chemical Romance, Black Veil Brides, and Escape The Fate."
"You, miss, have a fabulous taste in music." Drake pointed at me as I gave a mock bow.
"I try." I retorted. "What warm-up are we doing?"
"We'll start with something easy. Do you guys know any Three Days Grace songs?"
"Isn't there one called Barnacle I Have Begun?" Xander chirped, looking proud of himself.
"It's Animal I Have Become, idiot." I scoffed, rolling my eyes and wagging a drum stick at him. The guys burst out laughing at Xander's shocked expression and the slight twitch of my lips proved that even I was amused too.
Sputtering, Drake managed to laugh out, "Do... do you guys know the song or not?"
"I do, but I'm not sure about Barnacle Boy here." I replied easily as Xander turned pink eith embarrassment.
"Ah!" Zac cried out and pointed at me frantically, startling us all. "I got that reference!"
"What reference?" I asked.
"You know, the Spongebob one. Cause you know, Mermaid Man and Barna- Oh, never mind."
"Anyway!" Gabriel interrupted, tapping his mike. Feedback erupted and everyone but me flinched at the noise. After it settled, he spoke into the microphone, his voice now echoing in surround sound throughout the entire basement. For once, his scowl was replaced by a bright smirk, nodding at us. "You guys ready to rock?"
Drake grinned, the whites of his teeth showing as he plugged in his guitar to the amp system. Xander and Zac followed his example, and I made myself comfortable behind the drum set.
And then we started playing.
Zac started us off with the eerie beginning, the thick notes rumblin effortlessly off the instrument and sending a few shivers down my back. I joined in, pressing my foot against the bass drum pedal on the down beat.
Drake gave a perceptible nod to Xander, and the two joined in after the intro, their guitars singing beautifully in time to Zac's playing. My rhythm shifted to incorporate Rev tapping consistently on the hi-hats, continuing the steady beat.
Gabriel had his eyes closed with one hand wrapped around the edge of the microphone. Bobbing his head as he counted the measures, he opened his mouth and began to sing.
And honestly, he wasn't that bad. His voice held a gruffer, more raspy tone that I expected, but he was amazing. Every note was hit with accuracy, but sometimes even when he would miss a pitch it felt more like it completed the song. To show he was human. To show that had emotion.
Gabriel wasn't the only one playing his heart out, but the rest of the band too. I watched as they all played in complete sync, bobbing their heads in time to the beat, and playing as if they didn't have a care in the world. The group wasn't just one person; they were a band.
"Somebody get me through this nightmare. I can't control myself."
Instantly, as the verse shifted into the chorus, it was almost as if a shock blasted through the room, making the hands on my arms stand.
I crashed my sticks onto the set, playing with a passion I didn't even know I had fully unlocked, skillfully keeping the entire band in tempo. I was the heartbeat.
Xander and Drake grinned, striking the opening chord of the refrain with such enthusiasm that the walls rumbled a little from the aftershock. Zac joined in, dancing back and forth on stage as he kept the root note steady, providing a darker tone to the song.
Gabriel opened his eyes, glimpsing at all of us playing as he sang, and I noticed the same glazed look in his eyes that were probably in mine too. He actually smiled, jumping up and down with Zac, and even letting out a small laugh as the lyrics faded out into the instrumental part.
Sweat poured down each of our faces but nobody cared, feeling as if the world couldn't stop us. I found myself slipping away into my music-induced coma, half-smiling and drumming away, letting my sense of rhythm and ear for pitch take over on autopilot.
"So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one will ever change this animal I have become. Help me believe it's not the real me. Somebody help me tame this animal I have become. Help me believe it's not the real me. Somebody help me tame this animal."
We lapsed into the bridge, with Gabriel whisper-yelling, "This animal" in such a haunting voice that made us all play with even more vindiction.
"Somebody help me tame this animal I have become. Help me believe it's not the real me. Somebody help me tame this animal. This animal I have become!"
The song was drawing to a close; had four minutes already been up? And with the guitars wailing, Zac keeping the original melody going, and my own drumming getting more and more pressured, I didn't want it to stop.
Eventually, I hit the last beat as Drake strummed the final chord, letting the sound ring out through our imaginary crowd. And then it was over.
The adrenaline was already starting to leave me, and I gripped my drum sticks harder, panting a bit.
"Holy shit." Xander was the first to speak, abruptly releasing his hold on his guitar and grabbing his hair with both hands. Sweat glistened on the curve of his jaw as his mouth curved into a surprised "o."
"You could say that again." Zac agreed, swiping at his forehead and walking over to the table to retrieve another glass of lemonade.
"Holy shit!" Xander repeated, turning to me with a huge grin on his face. "What was that?!"
"A practice session." I replied bluntly, but I knew his question went deeper than that. Even I didn't know what happened; it was if the music had reached out, and sucked us into itself, and got us high off of passion.
"I feel you, man." Drake breathed, grabbing the glass of lemonade Zac handed towards him. "That was intense."
"Yeah, whenever the three of us practiced, nobody felt that... that... hell, I don't even know what to call it." Zac added, looking a bit dazed himself.
"Alright, Gabe. Tell them." Drake smirked, nodding his head towards their vocalist.
After what looked like an internal battle with himself, Gabriel finally ground out, "Alright, alright. I guess it was... a good decision to let you two in the band."
"And now this means we're definitely going to win that contest." Zac pointed out, setting his bass on the rack of instruments against the wall.
"But wait-" Gabriel started when Drake interjected by saying, "There's more!" in a jovial, exaggerated voice. Gabe smacked his friend upside the head before continuing, "We should make a pact."
"Oh, yeah definitely." Drake said, looking as if he just remembered something important. Zac nodded.
"A... pact? What for?" asked Xander.
"Look, Chasing Avenues has been together for I'd say... about five years. And we made a pact before we created the band. Since you guys are members now... you have to agree to the pact too." Gabriel explained, glancing at both me and Xander. "Ready to hear the rules?"
"Shoot." I shrugged.
"One: Nothing comes between the band, got it? The band comes first before anything. Except for family. And now, technically we're all family now. No fights, drama, all that kind of crap. We look out for each other, not the other way around."
"Two," Drake cut Gabriel off with a small smile. "Commitment. You guys have to be dedicated to this band, and to the music. But hey, something tells me you two already have that down. Zac?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," Zac called, walking over to stand in between Drake and Gabriel. "Three: No lying. Look, we know there's some stuff you'd rather keep quiet, but this band has no secrets, okay? We're honest and open with each other. And it's a long shot for Chasing Avenues to go big time; it's a long shot for every band out there, so don't go running off to get your own music career started without the rest of us. Like rule one: The band always comes first."
His words echoed in my mind. Secrets, eh? I found myself switching my gaze to the floor. This wasn't supposed to be some serious thing; I was only going to join the band, win the contest, then get the hell out of this joint and leave everything and everyone behind. I couldn't tell them that, right? This was a perfect example of "stuff I'd like to keep quiet." It wouldn't hurt if they didn't know... Wouldn't it?
But right then and there, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. I just didn't know what, and I didn't know when. I just knew it was going to happen soon.
"Do you both accept these terms?" Gabriel asked, eyeing me skeptically. What? Was I that untrustworthy? Oh, yeah... I was. I sunk a little deeper into the guilt.
"I do." Xander nodded.
"Lacey?"
"I..." This was it. No turning back now. This lying game I was playing was already out of hand. Agreeing to this is only going to make it worse.
It'll pay off in the end. It'll pay off in the end. I chanted silently.
"I... I do."
Gabriel nodded in acceptance. "Then you may now kiss the bride!" Drake burst out lauging, slapping his knee.
And then... I think I may have thrown Rev at his head.
--
"Thanks for coming guys," Drake smiled and waved at us with his free hand; the hand that wasn't pressing a bag of frozen peas on his head.
"Sorry about your head again." Xander apologized for me, and I shot him a glare.
"Sorry about your face!" I called out, making Drake smirk and roll his eyes. He waved one last time before closing the door, and leaving me and Xander on his porch.
"Do you need a ride home?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
I thought about Marco, and the sight of my home. That probably wouldn't be a good idea.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll just catch a cab back. Thanks anyway." I said instead, starting the trek to the front gates. Xander kept up my gait, stepping in time with my footfalls as we fell into a comfortable silence.
I was dying to know what he thinking, and the tension from the thought him asking me if what Carter and Olivia said was true, kept me in suspense.
"Wait, guys!" We spun around to see Zac sprinting towards us with two papers in his hands. His black hair blew backwards from the breeze, and the sheets fluttered from the wind. If he hadn't been holding the papers securely, they would've flewn away.
"What's up?" Xander asked, taking a hand out of his pocket to grab one of the papers. I did the same, my eyes scanning the print.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I inwardly cringed and mentally slapped myself in the face.
Zac smiled brightly and added, "Remember, don't forget to get your parent or guardian to sign this paper, or else you can't join the competition."
Great. Just great.
—
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