by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
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.
Chapter Eight
When school let out Thursday, Jason caught a ride with Dred from school, which meant riding around while she dropped off a couple of other girls that she always took home. He stashed his bike in the cargo area behind the back seats. When they reached Mitch’s house, Jason parked the bike in Mitch's garage to make room for Dred's drum kit and Mitch’s collection of keyboards and synthesizers.
Jason helped Mitch and Dred load the back of the van. He was doubly worried today. He'd told his dad it was his first day back at the car wash, and he'd been so busy wondering if he'd get caught by his parents that he'd almost forgotten to be nervous about the audition itself. Packing up the van, he started to think about playing in front of actual big-city club owners, and he felt a little cold and shaky.
Erin's boyfriend Zach dropped her off, and Jason looked away fast when she kissed him good-bye. Jason didn't need to feel jealous and sad, on top of everything else.
“Are we ready?” Erin asked as she joined them in the garage.
“All packed up.” Dred tossed her keys in the air and caught them. “Let's go blow some minds.”
As they drove out of Chippewa along Highway 29 to Minneapolis, Erin looked more cheerful than Jason had ever seen her.
“So where are you guys going to live when we're big stars?” Erin asked. “Dred?”
“I think Oregon,” Dred said. “Seems like a cool place. You can live near those giant redwoods where they put
the Ewok village.”
“Mitch?” Erin asked.
“Mick. And I'm thinking Malibu. Swimming pools, movie stars...”
“Yeah,” Dred snorted. “You only want to live there so you'll be close to Claudia Lafayette.”
“I happen to think she's a great vocalist who does some amazing, experimental things with her melodies.”
“I guess ten million middle school girls can't be wrong,” Dred said.
“All kinds of people listen to Claudia Lafayette!” Mitch said.
“All kinds of female people between the ages of ten and fourteen,” Dred said.
“What about you, Jason?” Erin asked.
“I don't really listen to Claudia Lafayette, or Britney Spears, or anybody like that. I like classic rock, old blues…” Jason said.
“I mean, where would you live if you were a rock star?”
“Oh!” Jason thought about it. “I think an island. Out in the Caribbean, maybe.”
“That's pretty cool,” Erin said. “But I think I'd want to live in New York, or London, someplace where everything's happening, and you can do anything you want.”
“I could try that for a while,” Jason said.
Erin smiled and blew a quick, bright tune on her harmonica. “Who wants to warm up?”
“My stuff's all packed up,” Mitch said.
“I think I can play.” Jason took the guitar from its case. He wished he'd brought the fairy instruments now, so they could at least check them out on the long ride to the Cities. He could have come up with some story about where they came from. Too late now.
Erin played a blues riff, and Jason followed her with his guitar. She improvised a song, continuing the harmonic part between the lines:
Jason likes the blues,
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
Mitch hates the news
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
“It's Mick,” Mitch said. “But that's accurate, you know. I think it's pointless to get your news from the television, or even establishment newspapers—”
Erin sang and played:
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
Dred drives the car
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
Gonna take us far
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
“Yeah, where would this band be without my van?” Dred asked.
Erin sang:
Without the van,
(wah-waah, wah-wah)
There is no band.
Erin played out a long phrase on her harmonica, while Dred snickered.
Jason and Erin played most of the way, occasionally getting into one of the band's actual songs, but Erin kept improvising new lyrics. She had a radiant smile today.
The Patch was located in the old warehouse district in Minneapolis, near a number of larger, more popular clubs. The club occupied one sliver of the bottom floor of a refurbished brick building, where the ghosts of the words “Great Northern Railway” were visible across the second story.
They arrived with about fifteen minutes to spare. It was still daylight—the club itself wouldn't open for several more hours.
The four of them walked to the front door. Jason wanted to knock, since the place was obviously closed, but Dred pushed open the heavy black door and walked inside like it was her own house.
“Hey, anybody here?” Dred shouted into the darkness.
Mitch looked at Jason and Erin, then shrugged and followed Dred inside. Jason and Erin shared a nervous smile before following.
The interior of the club was small and dark, with an eight-seat bar along one wall, scattered tables and a few booths at the back. The stage was tucked into one corner, and looked barely big enough to hold a two-piece band.
“We're closed,” said a young woman who emerged from the door at the back. She was dressed in black leather pants and a high-collared white shirt.
“We're the Assorted Zebras,” Dred said. “We're supposed to have an audition today.”
“Oh, you're the one who keeps calling?” The woman turned her head and shouted at the open door from which she'd emerged. “Hey, Freddy! Those pushy hick kids are here with their band!”
The man who came out next was hugely obese, wearing a bright flowered shirt and a green pork-pie hat. He stood next to the young woman and folded his arms while he looked over the four of them.
“Who's the one that keeps calling?” Freddy asked.
“That'd be me.” Dred raised her hand.
“Well, stop calling. Lissa here is my entertainment director,” he said, and the young woman smiled. “She's also my bar manager,” he added, and the woman's smile faltered. “Anyway, this is your one chance to convince us that you're good enough to play The Patch. Go set yourselves up, and don't make too much noise doing it.” He waved at the tiny stage.
“Thank you!” Mitch said. “We really appreciate this opportunity—”
“Don't talk to me until you're ready to play,” Freddy said.
They carried the equipment and quickly set it up, plugging into the club's sound system. Freddy and Lissa sat in a booth at the back of the club, going over a stack of paperwork.
When they were set up, Erin spoke into the microphone: “Are you ready?”
Freddy the club owner waved a pudgy arm without looking at them. He was still in conversation with Lissa, ignoring the band.
“Okay,” Erin said. “This first one's called 'Nuclear Morning.'”
Dred counted off the beat, and then Jason and Mitch joined in.
Erin sang:
I woke up on nuclear morning,
Last night they gave the last warning,
Nothing left but crying and mourning,
All alone on nuclear morning...
They played three songs straight through, and neither of the two people in the booth looked up at them the entire time.
“Okay,” Erin said, “This next one is called 'Remember'—”
“Wait, wait.” Freddy pushed himself to his feet and waddled toward the stage. “Look, you seem like nice kids. You've got some talent.” He looked right at Erin. “Maybe a lot of talent. But you're too green and raw. You don't have your sound together. I'd say give it another year of practice before you're ready to play live shows.”
“A year?” Erin asked.
“Nobody gets successful overnight,” Freddy said. “You're young. You have plenty of time to practice. Don't take it personally. Now get your junk off my stage.”
Mitch frowned. Erin's face scrunched up for a second as if she were going to cry, but she fought it down and made it into a hard glare instead. The band members looked at each other. It was one more failed audition.
Freddy started chatting with Lissa again. After a second, he looked up and said, “Get going! We have a business to run here.”
The four of them packed up their gear and carried it out to the van, speaking very little. On the drive home, the mood was quiet and somber.
“We'll get the next one,” Mitch said as they drove out of the city.
Nobody replied.
Back in Chippewa, Dred dropped Erin off at home. When the rest of them arrived at Mitch's, it was close to eight o' clock. Jason got his bike and his backpack from the garage.
He said good-bye and pedaled home.
His dad was waiting at the kitchen table, reading his paper. Jason heard his mom and Katie upstairs, doing something in Katie's room. Maybe cleaning up—Katie could turn any room into a wreck in a matter of minutes.
Jason poured himself a glass of milk.
“How was your first day back at work?” his dad asked, without looking up from the paper.
“Oh,” Jason said. “Fine. Pretty good. I'm pretty tired now.”
“Wash a lot of cars?”
“Yep.”
His dad looked up. “You didn't wash mine.”
“Oh...did you want me to?”
“I did. That's why I took it over to Manny's Car Wash this afternoon, about five-thirty. Guess who wasn't working there?”
Ja
son looked down at his shoelaces.
“In fact,” his dad continued, “I talked to Manny, and he said you never even asked for your job back. Says he hasn't heard from you in a few months. Now how is that possible?”
Jason sighed. “I'm sorry, Dad.”
“Where were you?”
“We had that audition today.”
“You were with those kids? In Minneapolis?”
“It didn't go well.”
“I don't care how it went. I told you no more band. And now you're going all the way to the Cities and back, with a teenage driver, and not telling anybody where you went?”
“It was a bad day,” Jason said. “If that makes you feel better.”
“It's not about how I feel, Jason. It's the way you've been acting. Disappearing all night? Lying to your mother and me? This isn't like you, Jason. What's going on with you?”
Jason shrugged. “I just like being in the band.”
“You're getting irresponsible,” his dad said. “You're going to be a senior next year. You need to start acting like an adult. Set a good example for your sister.”
“Okay. I will.”
“And why should I believe anything you say?” his dad asked.
“I don't know.”
“You're still grounded, and you said you're not going to prom, so I'm running out of ways to punish you. And, at your age, it shouldn't be about punishment. You should be more mature. You should know to be honest, responsible and considerate of others. Especially your little sister, who you left all alone.”
Jason didn't know what to say. His dad's disappointment filled the room like a thick, cold cloud.
“I'll do better, Dad,” he finally said.
“I hope you do. Until you show me a little responsibility, I'll just think of you as somebody who can't be trusted at all.” His dad started reading the paper again.
Jason trudged up the stairs to his room, feeling worse than he had in years. His parents hated him, and there would be no more band practice. No more afternoons and weekends with Erin.
He collapsed on his bed, put on his headphones, played the Lead Belly collection on his iPod, and closed his eyes.
Chapter Nine