(Mitch)
I was floating down a river, a nice, peacefully rocking river, on an inflatable turquoise raft, a cocktail in one hand, a camera in the other, headphones in and blasting awesome dance music, and my eye on the hot eye candy on the river bank. I was thinking about ways to introduce myself, how to best flirt, how to talk to him, and how to get his attention and to notice me. Whoa. Was it just me or was he looking at me? Oh my God, he was! OK, time to make my move. I decided the best way to do things would be to stand on the raft and sing out to him. That's the only natural thing to do, right? Making sure my hair was just right and pinching my cheeks to give them a bit of color, I stood up and balanced perfectly on my raft. Justin Timberlake would be perfect right now. I started singing Can't Stop The Feeling out to him and he did turn to look. He must have liked what he was seeing, because he started smiling at me. I started dancing my little ass off for him, letting him see exactly what he could have. His smile was getting bigger—but the raft starting lurching. I shrieked, trying hard to stay on and not look like a complete fool, throwing my arms out to balance, but I was losing my footing anyway. I started falling off the raft—towards a waterfall. Holy shit, where'd that damn waterfall come from? There was no waterfall two minutes ago! I shrieked again as I was tossed against a rock. Ohhh my God, I'm gonna die! I opened my mouth and got a mouthful of water as I started to drown, thrashing about in the water.
"Helllp," I moaned as the people on the bank were just watching—watching me and pointing at me. Even Scott was pointing at me and I swear I could hear his voice as he spoke to Kevin, saying, "Look, he's drowning! See?" And starting to smile about it! I was starting to cry about my best friend just grinning as I met my sorry end when something fell hard on my face— and I woke up.
I found myself lying on the floor of my hotel room, between the two beds, with my phone now laying on my neck. That must have been what fell on my face. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. Ugh. Was it morning already? Or did I just fall out of bed at some point? Poking at my phone nearsightedly, it seemed to be telling me it was 6:26. Blech. I rubbed my nose and climbed back into bed. I was just closing my eyes when I remembered I was supposed to meet the others in the restaurant at 7:00. Just two more minutes, I needed two more minutes. I let my eyes fall shut. Of course, two minutes turned into ten before I heard a loud knocking on the adjoining door, and Scott stuck his head in.
"Making sure you're up. I know how hard it is for you in the morning."
"It's not morning," I mumbled, my voice heavy with sleep. "Look out the window. It's pitch black out there."
"It's 6:40. We're meeting Home Free and everyone for breakfast at 7:00," he reminded me, coming over to my bed. "Come on, Mitchie, wake up."
"Nooo," I moaned, pulling the cover over my face. "Don't wanna."
"But you have to." Scott pulled the blanket back away from my face and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Wake up."
I grunted at him, trying to grab the blanket back, but he was too quick. He pulled it all the way off me and I groaned, insulted by the cold air on my legs.
"Seriously. Get up," Scott ordered. "It's 6:40. You have twenty minutes to pull yourself together or I'm going to dress you myself."
"OK, OK, OK," I complained, sitting up. "Mornings suck."
"Yep, I know." He yawned widely. "Twenty minutes, Mitch."
"I heard you the first time." I stood up and rolled my head around my shoulders, trying to get a crick out of my neck. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, then popped my contacts in. I was trying to decide between five different shirts and three different pairs of pants when Scott came back in.
"Really?" he demanded. "This is as far as you made it?"
"Hey, I showered, brushed my teeth, and put in my contacts," I argued, fingering a dark green shirt before tossing it aside. "I am making progress!" I punctuated it with a loud yawn.
Scott grabbed a white tee shirt and pulled it on over my head for me. "There you go. Now, stick your arms in it. "
"I am not a baby doll to play with," I grumbled as he guided my arms into the sleeves.
"Sure you are," he laughed, pulling out a pair of underwear from my suitcase.
I promptly snapped them out of his hands. "I got this, thank you very much!" He laughed as I pulled them on, then a pair of pants, before tossing my socks and shoes at me. "There. Happy?" I asked, finally fully dressed and ready.
Scott shrugged. "More or less. Let's go."
I grabbed my wallet and hotel key and we headed downstairs. I made a beeline to the coffee machine and made myself a cup with lots of creamer and sugar, then sat down with the others. I wasn't hungry yet. I took a small sip to test the coffee. Ooo, too hot. I grabbed a spoon and fished an ice cube out of Scott's water glass, adding it to my coffee cup. I swirled it around slowly, watching the colors of the coffee and creamer and ice cube meld together. It was almost hypnotizing.... I felt my head start to fall forward.
Scott jabbed me in the side. "Quit playing with it and drink it."
"Hot," I mumbled, fighting to keep my eyes open.
"Shouldn't be too hot—you just took two ice cubes from my glass," he remarked, then pushed a bagel at me. "Here, eat something."
"Not hungry." I pushed it back and braved another sip of coffee. Much better. I sat back, slurping on it.
"Eat it, Mitchie, long day," Scott insisted.
"I don't want it," I started to say, but got it shoved rudely into my mouth anyway. Eurgh. Cream cheese tasted like lumpy milk. I gagged a minute before tossing it out and dumping it on his plate. "I don't even like it, Scott."
He rolled his eyes as Adam cleared his throat. I'd about forgotten they were there. "OK, guys, spill. What happened last night?" he demanded.
I let Kirstie, Scott, and Kevin talk. I didn't even want to get into it again. Personally, I was a little sore—my neck and back were aching with every move I made. I hadn't told anyone though; there was just too much going on, both with our scheduled performance and with our new collaboration with Home Free. Oh shit, that reminded me—I'd agreed to stand in for Austin. I was going to have to learn a bunch of new material. Ugh. I rested my head on the wall and finished my coffee. I pushed my cup at Scott.
"So then, I started pounding on his head—what, Mitch?"
"More coffee. Please," I requested, shaking the cup.
"I'm talking, Mitch, can't you get it?"
Avi stood up. "I'm going to get some more butter. I'll grab it for you, Mitch. Sugar and creamer?"
"Yes, please, plenty."
He came back a minute later with it and I thanked him, starting in on a fresh new cup. Sure wished the caffeine would kick my brain into gear. I could still barely see straight. Not that I do much of anything straight.
"You OK, Mitch?" Avi asked quietly as Scott and Kirstie were gesturing animatedly.
I nodded. "Tired." Ow, the nod caught my neck wrong. I put a hand to it. "You know how I hate mornings."
His eyes never left my hand, still on my neck. I quickly dropped it. "Are you hurting?"
"No," I lied. "Just trying to wake up."
"Eat something," Avi encouraged. "That always helps me."
"I'm not really hungry." I honestly wasn't convinced my stomach would even accept food at 7:00 in the morning. I yawned again as Scott pushed his plate away and at me, also encouraging me to eat. He had an untouched banana, which I picked up and toyed with, considering eating it.
"Are y'all OK?" Tim was saying, his eyes pausing over each of us. "No injuries? You sure?"
"I'm fine," Kirstie said. "No pain. More shook up than anything else."
"I'm fine," Scott added. "Just mainly pissed off."
"No complaints here," Kevin said, taking a long drink of coffee.
Avi sighed. "To be completely honest, I have a headache and a sore knee."
All four of us immediately looked at him; it even brought me out of my stupor. Or maybe it was just the caffeine finally kicking in.
"When did this start?" Kevin asked him.
"Headache, about 2:00 last night. I took a Tylenol PM. Knee, not sure." He scooted his chair back and moved it around experimentally. "Ow. Yep, the knee is hurting."
Kevin picked it up and started examining it. "Bumps and bruises," was his diagnosis. "Wiggle your foot for me."
Avi started wiggling it back and forth. "That doesn't hurt, but when I move my leg like this..." He moved it in a full circle. "Ow."
"It's not broken," Kevin decided as I peeled and started nibbling on Scott's banana. "Were y'all wearing your seat belts?"
Avi blushed. "Um...."
"Maybe not," I admitted, now eating the banana hungrily.
Kevin's eyes fluttered to me. "Are you injured?"
"Nope, peachy," I answered, the haze finally clearing from my brain. Yay, coffee for the win!
"He was holding his neck earlier," Avi snitched on me.
"I was trying to hold my head up," I said, finishing the banana and moving on to Scott's Fruit Loops. "That was pre-coffee."
"Okayyy..., " Kevin said slowly, doubtfully. "Seriously, all of you, especially Mitch and Avi. If you start really hurting, let us know."
"I will," Avi promised, putting cash down on the table. "We ready to head out?"
"Think so," Chance said, burping slightly.
We settled our checks and started heading out. I trotted up to Rob. "So... I'm helping you out," I began. "Want to bring me up to speed? What do you need me to sing?"
Adam fell into step beside us. "We'll talk about it at the theatre. I got all my notes and stuff in my bag."
I reached for it, but he danced away from me with it. "Just be patient!" he told me.
"Just anxious to get started." I grinned but was able to hold on until we got to the theatre. He sat his bag down to go to the bathroom and I dived into it like a crazy person, pulling out notebooks, songbooks, pens, pencils, hair ties, a harmonica, a metronome, gum—it was like a woman's purse. I found a couple of notebooks with Christmas stuff and and popped one open.
"Easy," Rob grumbled at me. "Going through his stuff like that."
"Ya want me to stand in for Austin and sing with y'all or what?" I retorted, immersing myself into a fun rendition of Do You Hear What I Hear-AC. Wasn't sure what the AC meant or stood for, but I found myself starting to hum along and was getting into it when Tim pulled it out of my hands.
"We're not even singing that," he told me, rustling through the papers himself. "Here. Study up on Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer and Colder Weather." He handed me two booklets and told me to work on in for a good thirty minutes to get my parts down.
"Do this part," Rob instructed, poking a finger at the tenor lines marked with RL. "That's me. I'll do Austin's lead parts, since I know our arrangements better than the back of my hand."
"Gotcha." I settled down into a hair near the front and spread out, studying the music diligently. I'd about gotten Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer before I got called back to my own group. Poor Kirstie was not holding up too well with doing both her and my parts.
"Just practice y'all's parts!" I cried at her, starting to get frazzled already. How'm I supposed to juggle two groups at the same time?'
"It doesn't sound right," Scott complained.
"I can't do your part," Kirstie moaned. "I sound like a chipmunk on helium, especially in the lower parts."
"What lower parts?" I shot back. "A good ninety-five percent of my parts are high! I hate singing low!"
"She's trying to do too much." Kevin frowned at her. "Just do your part, Kirstie, we'll integrate him later."
"But we sound so, I dunno...." She was pulling her hands back and forth like some strange hula dance "...thin without him. We've just got three voices here now. And he's one of our main vocalists."
"It'll be OK, Kirstie, it's just for a little while," Kevin was saying as Avi squawked indignantly about us sounding 'thin'.
" 'Thin'? We sound 'thick' enough to me! I'm over here providing one hell of a bass line!"
"Your bass line is great, Avi; Kirstie is just freaking out about the top part," Kevin tried to reassure him.
"We don't sound right!" she shrieked.
"Of course you sound different!" I shrieked right back at her. "You don't have me! Temporarily! But I'll be right here! I'm trying to help Home Free!"
"Hey!" Chance darted over to me. "Mitch! We gotta practice! You up to speed?"
"Think I got the reindeer song down pat anyway," I muttered. "Haven't had a chance to look at Colder Weather. Kirstie's over here having a freak-out."
"Why?" Chance asked her.
"We don't sound right," she whined. "We sound too low. Avi, ease up on the bass."
"If you're asking me to do the tenor part, that's never happening," he said dryly.
"No, I'm not asking that," she argued. "Just— less bass-y."
I left them arguing about the bass parts (hell, I'd never be able to help them on that anyway) and parked it next to Home Free, where Adam was already providing a beat.
"Figured we'd start with Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," he said. "Mitch, you're comfortable with that?"
I shrugged. "Works for me. Didn't have a chance to go over Colder Weather yet anyway. Kirstie is freaking out about our sound now."
"I'm sure y'all sound fine," Tim said encouragingly.
"Something about being too thin and too much bass or something." I shrugged. "Whatever. I'm ready to give this a whirl."
"All right. Rob, start us off." Chance nodded at him and we jumped right in. It was a bit weird to be working with a different group. I'd been singing with Kirstie and Scott for, well, most of my life, and Avi and Kevin for several years. My ears just weren't quite used to the tone and sounds of Home Free's voices. Not saying they weren't good; they were just different than what I was accustomed to. And working with another strong tenor was definitely different. Kevin so rarely actually stopped beatboxing to sing that Rob's strong, high voice threw me through a loop. And he was aiming for a Southern accent, but was failing miserably. Chance was doot-doot'ing dutifully along with him, but giving him the eye with every drawl he made. Tim was giving him odd looks as well and very nearly missed his cue. He came in a beat late and then was hurrying along trying to catch up. Avi wouldn't have done that. Then again, from what they were saying last night—and even from what I was hearing just then—Tim could actually get lower than Avi could. Hmm. I'd love to hear them go head to head and battle it out with those low notes. Lost in my thoughts, I was jabbed in the side by Adam and he pointed out my place in the book. Oh, right. I sang my line— "this Bud's for you!"—and tried to focus. It really wouldn't look good if I screwed up while working with them. I hit my next part perfectly—a nice harmonized 'amazing grace', then got my 'send them back?!' part nicely too. Tim's bass next to me set me off nicely, especially since he was back on beat. OK, here we go, my main part. I leaned forward for my solo and licked my teeth to moisten my mouth.
" 'Now the goose is on the table, and the pudding made of fig. And the blue—'"
I got interrupted by Adam. "Sounds nice and all, Mitch, but half a step down, please. You're just a touch on the high side."
Rob muttered something to him under his breath and Adam told him to be quiet and sing, making me giggle. Be quiet and sing? Haha, how would that even be possible?
"Sorry!" I gasped out, pinching my lips together. "OK, I'm good."
Adam started us back up and I chimed in, kicking myself down a hair. " 'Now the goose is on the—' wait." Down, Mitch, down. " 'Now the goose is on—'" Nope, not sounding right. I checked the songbook again as Tim decided to start honking like a goose, sending us all into a laughing fit.
"Oh, here we go!" I exclaimed, putting my finger on the note I was supposed to sing.
" 'Now the goose is on the table, and the pudding made of fig. And the blue and silver candles that would just have matched—'"
"You're still too high," Rob informed me dryly.
"Sor-ry!" I harrumphed. "This is just my voice! It's how I sound naturally!"
"Listen to Rob," Adam instructed. "Just do some quick scales. Try to match him."
"I thought I was," I muttered.
"No, you're higher than him," Tim told me. "We'd like you and Rob to be in the exact same range."
"Do-do-do-do-do," Rob sang cheerfully. "Come on, Mitch, do it with me."
"Do-do-do-do-do," I sang along dutifully.
"Lower, Mitch," Chance instructed.
"Either that, or 'higher, Rob'," Tim added, making him snort.
"If I go much higher, it'll be in my falsetto, and that will sound so wrong," he laughed.
"OK, guess we'll have to settle for 'lower, Mitch'," Chance guffawed.
"Come on. Some do-do-do-do-do," Adam sang for us.
OK, lower it is. Concentrating hard, I pushed myself down into my lower register. Funny, but for some reason, I thought they wanted me for my tenor voice, but all I was getting was 'lower, lower, lower'. So I dropped an octave. Or maybe two. They did let me sing the whole part that time without interrupting.
"Whoa. Mitch," Rob was saying.
"You wanted it lower," I said with an edge in my voice. "So I gave it to you. Lower."
"Dude, if we wanted it in the baritone range, I would have done it," Chance remarked. "So boost your tenor ass back up to where you belong."
I threw my hands up in the air. "Well, whadaya want from me? When I was in my tenor range, you wanted it lower. When I got it lower, you wanted it higher. Make. Up. Your. Minds!"
"We want it in the middle," Adam directed. "Somewhere between Chance's baritone and Kirstie's mezzo would be ideal."
"I can't hit Kirstie's mezzo," I sniffled.
"Let's sing that part together," Rob suggested. "Match pitch with me. 'Now the goose is on—' come on, on three. Adam, count."
"And one and two and three," Adam counted, and Rob and I sang it together. I did hear what they meant though—I was higher than Rob.
I held a finger up. "Hold that note." He held it for me and I listened carefully, then finally managed to get it pitched right. Once I had his note internalized, I was able to sing the solo exactly where they wanted it. They all started to smile, and Adam nodded at me.
" 'I warned all my friends and neighbors, better watch out for yourselves'," I was singing perfectly, when Rob stuck his face right up in mine and made me dissolve into a puddle of giggles. I pushed him away a minute later, informing him, "You are not my type, Rob!"
Everyone started rolling at that. Adam slapped at his own knee.
"It's part of the performance, Mitch!" Rob laughed. "Sing it again without laughing and I'll show you!"
"What the hell kind of performance is this then? I only signed up for singing," I remarked, winking at him. "Get your jollies with someone else."
Tim, Rob, and Adam doubled over laughing as Chance just rolled his eyes— but couldn't suppress a grin.
"Sing it again," Tim insisted.
Forcing another giggle down my throat, I obliged. " 'I warned all my friends and neighbors, better watch out for yourselves'..." This time I was halfway expecting him when he stuck his face in mine.
"Sing it, Mitch!" he whispered theatrically.
I lost it at this point, laughing solid for a good three minutes. Adam finally called for a break because none of us could get it together now. I excused myself to the bathroom where I splashed water in my face, trying to settle myself down.
A toilet flushed and Kevin stepped out. "Doing OK with Home Free, Mitch?"
"Yep," I confirmed. "We just all had a massive giggle fit. These guys are hilarious."
He grinned at me as he gingerly turned on the sink. "Hope they don't try to steal you away from us."
"Nope, never happening," I assured him, patting my face dry. "Y'all know I love you." I grabbed a water bottle from the cooler up front and joined back up with Home Free, where Adam was just getting back himself.
"Ready to sing?" he asked us.
"Yep, lead us off," Chance confirmed.
We sang it all the way through, and this time I was fully prepared for Rob's antics and didn't fall apart when he whispered 'sing it, Mitch' in my face.
" 'They should never give a license, noooo, to a man that drives a sleigh and plays with elves'," I sang out perfectly to their satisfaction. We finished up on Rob's high note and I sat back down.
"Good run through," Adam told us. "Again."
Adam became quite the task master, drilling us through it so many times I could practically do it in my sleep.