by JL Bryan
Chapter Seven
Though he was very tired, Jason couldn't get to sleep Sunday night. He kept looking at his window, waiting for something to crawl through into his room—Grizlemor the goblin maybe, or a violet-haired fairy with a heart tattoo, or the hairy ogre-creature that played the drum. He jumped every time the wind made the trees creak outside. He was still awake when his alarm went off for school.
Monday morning, Jason left the house through the garage. Before he left, he peeked behind the old Corvette and lifted the drop cloth he'd used to cover the stolen instruments.
What he found surprised him. All four of the instruments had shrunk in size until they looked like toys. The lute was smaller than a violin, the harp would have fit in the palm of his hand, and the set of reed pipes was no bigger than a whistle. The drum was the size of a cupcake.
Jason could just imagine how Erin, Mitch and Dred would react if he brought these to school and suggested they use them to make music. They would laugh at him, or think he was crazy, or both. What had seemed like a brilliant idea in the land of Faerie on Saturday night looked ridiculous in the gray light of a Monday morning.
He covered up the instruments again, got on his bike, and rode to school.
While he was changing out books at his locker before homeroom, somebody grabbed his arm and he jumped, nearly losing his balance.
“Hi, Jason,” Erin said. “Scared you, didn't I?”
Jason was surprised to see her—Erin didn't normally hang out with him at school. She had her own friends. The sight of her tied up his tongue. He was only just barely able to say her name aloud: “Erin.”
“Why are you so jumpy?”
“I don't know. I didn't get a lot of sleep. Weird weekend.”
She leaned against the locker next to his. “Aren't you excited about this audition? I was thinking about it all weekend, and I really think this could be the one. The place isn't too big, kind of a college crowd...”
Jason was nodding along. He couldn't really look at her and talk like an intelligent human being at the same time, so he focused on changing out his books. “Yeah,” he said.
“Don't you have a good feeling about it? I feel something good's about to happen.”
“I hope you're right.” Jason didn't want to tell her that his parents had grounded him, and he wasn't allowed to be in the band anymore. He knew he should be honest, but he was afraid she'd be disappointed in him. Or angry. Or decide not to talk to him again.
“You're going to be at practice?” she asked.
“I don't know—my parents are kind of mad at me, they don't want me going anywhere—”
“But you can come out for the audition Thursday, right?” She touched his arm and looked into his eyes. “Right? Are you feeling okay, Jason?”
“Just tired. Couldn't sleep,” Jason said.
“Did you have bad dreams?”
“I did.”
“I hate that. I get nightmares all the time.” She squeezed his arm, and Jason felt his heart flutter. “I'm really glad you joined the band, Jason. I think it's working out great.”
“Me, too,” Jason said. His smile felt a little too wobbly. He could feel himself starting to blush, too, which only made him more embarrassed.
“Oh, there's Kennedy and Parker. I have to go.” Erin backed away toward her friends. “So, I'll see you Thursday. If you can't come to practice sooner.”
“Right,” Jason said.
He watched her go, feeling his insides tremble. Why did he have to be such a dork around her?
Later, at lunch, Jason sat outside in his usual corner of the courtyard. The school lunch was some kind of soy-burger sandwich with brown mystery vegetables. He could see Erin across the way on one of the concrete benches outside the cafeteria doors, with Kennedy and Parker and assorted other friends. It seemed like a large group to Jason. How did you keep up a conversation with that many people?
“What’s happening, brother?” Mitch asked, sitting down next to him. At school, Mitch wore his goofy plaid driving cap, with his long hair tucked behind his ears, and his John Lennon glasses. He looked in the direction where Jason had been gazing.
“Just thinking.”
“She's a good singer, isn't she?” Mitch asked. “Songwriter, harmonica. We're lucky to have her.”
“Yeah.” Jason took a bite of his soy burger and was quiet for a minute.
“I know what you're worried about,” Mitch said.
“You do?”
“It's a big audition, man. Out in the Cities and everything.”
“Oh, yeah. About that. My parents say I'm grounded. I'm not allowed to go anywhere for a while.”
Mitch's mouth dropped open. “Except for the audition, right? And if we get the gig...”
“They won't let me go. And they say I can't be part of the band anymore.”
“Are you serious? We can't blow this audition, man. Dred was after that club owner for almost a month just to get us a shot. What's she going to say?”
“I know, but I can't.”
“We can't get a new guitarist by Thursday!” Mitch slapped his forehead and closed his eyes. “They'd have to learn Erin's songs...or we'd just have to figure out some covers...You can't do this to us, man!”
“I'm sorry,” Jason said. “I really want to play.”
Mitch looked him over. “You know, let me tell you a secret, as a graduating senior to a just-finishing-up junior. Your parents can't really make you do anything. It's like an illusion they have over you.”
“They'd be really mad if I went.”
“And they'd get over it. You're not doing anything wrong, you know. We're not going to rob a bank here. Just play a little music.”
“Which is exactly what they told me to quit doing,” Jason said. “I'm supposed to get a job...”
“That's perfect!” Mitch said. “Get a job, make a little money...plus, you can pretend you're going to work whenever you want to get out for a while. Having a job makes you groundproof.”
“Should I pretend I'm going back to work on Thursday?” Jason asked. “I can tell my dad I got my old job at the car wash again. Then I could get away for that audition.”
“Now you're thinking, man!” Mitch said. “He wants you to go to work, so that's what you tell him. And it's not totally a lie. I mean, we're trying to get a job. A Friday night gig at The Patch, in the warehouse district? That's big. We could make a hundred bucks each.”
“I don't know. I really don't like lying.”
Mitch glanced at Erin across the courtyard. “Look, man, what would Mick Jagger do?”
“Mick Jagger?”
“Do you think he'd let his parents keep him away from a gig?”
“He's like seventy years old,” Jason said.
“You're missing the point. Rock stars don't ditch out on gigs because they're grounded. You know what I mean?”
“Not even Justin Bieber?”
“Shut up about Justin Bieber. This is about what you need to do, Jason.”
Jason looked over at Erin.
“You don't want to disappoint her, do you?” Mitch asked.
“What do you mean?” Jason asked.
“You know what I mean.”
Jason felt embarrassed. “Okay. But I can't make rehearsal all week. Just the audition.”
“That's cool, man. Just keep practicing the songs at home.”
“I'll practice.” The bell rang and Jason stood up, feeling very nervous. He could get in a lot more trouble. He looked at Erin, and this time she saw him. She waved and smiled at Jason and Mitch.
“Get ready to play your best on Thursday,” Mitch said. He punched Jason's shoulder. “Now you're acting like a rock star, Jayce!”
Jason rolled his eyes.