Twenty-Two

It didn't feel like anything changed when I woke up the next morning. I had to remind myself that I was now in a band, and I almost cried. Again. But I held it in, because I heard Jeanie recording, and if she heard me cry, she'd most likely call out my name and reveal that her sister's name was Mel. People would soon put it together, and no one would leave me alone. So I swallowed the tears and quickly changed into faux leather leggings and a loose black tank with a skull cut out on the back with my combat boots. I grabbed my leather jacket and walked out to the kitchen.

I was looking forward to telling everyone at the Clubhouse the news. Brody was going to be super proud, and once Jeanie was done recording, so would she.

Rick sat at his desk in the corner of the living room, headphones on as he edited a video for Jeanie's YouTube. I did my best to not disturb him while not seeming like I was creeping behind him. I poured a bowl of cinnamon cereal as Rick finally looked at me. He did a double take before taking off the headphones and joining me in the kitchen.

"How was the concert last night?"

This time, I didn't try to not cry. Rick panicked, but since I was smiling, he didn't comfort me. "The band's drummer is leaving for grad school, and they want me to replace him."

"Are you shitting me?" he exclaimed in joy.

"Hey!" Jeanie called out, poking her head out of her office. "I'm about to record. Keep it down."

"Wait!" Rick exclaimed, and she jumped. "Tell her," he said, nudging my back.

"I'm in a band now."

Jeanie didn't say anything. She stared at me, eyes widening. I was expecting her to scream and jump and cry with me, but after thirty seconds of silence, I wasn't sure if she was going to say anything else. Maybe she was confused. Or worried that I randomly met a band and joined.

"It was the band I went to see yesterday," I quickly clarified. "I'm replacing their drummer who's leaving for grad school."

Jeanie's smile softened as she exited her bedroom and held out her arms. "I'm so proud of you, Mel."

It wasn't the reaction I was expecting, but a hug was still good enough. She pulled away after two seconds and walked back into her office.

"She's happy for you. Know that," Rick stated. I looked back at him. "She's trying to keep to her schedule. When she's done, she'll be taking you out for dinner to celebrate."

"Just another thing to put in her calendar, huh?"

"She'd forget if I didn't."

"This isn't something she should forget."

"You know Jeanie. She'd keep working on new gameplays and not take any time for herself. She's obsessed with her job. She's working hard to be an equal in the gaming world. She's making a difference. That why I have to write it all down."

"Don't," I told him. "I might not be home for dinner. Brody will most likely want to take me out. Besides, I'd rather she actually remember it." I pushed my bowl of cereal to him. "Here. You can eat this. I'm not hungry."

I walked to the front door, snatching my purse before exiting. Since Jeanie started her gaming career, she'd been busy. She was very particular with time organization, wanting everyone to follow their timetables down to the exact second. But this was something big for me. She'd been looking forward to me finding a band, and I finally did. When she hugged me, I thought it was going to be tighter.

Maybe I just expected too much from her at this point. She was a busy woman. Her brand consumed her. For all I knew, she probably knew that Rick liked her but wanted him to continue working for her and was afraid telling him would make him quit. Or she wanted an excuse to focus more time on her work than on someone else. At least I'd know it was hereditary.

I opened the door to the Clubhouse, listening to the bell above the door ring. I brushed my hair out of my face, looking up to find Brody talking with Petula, as well as Buddy and Devon, talking with each other. The other musicians in middle school were there as well. Sundays were never their day to come in, typically Mondays. I'd occasionally play with them, but not that often since they were all doing their own thing. I was just there to help when they needed it.

When I walked in, everyone stopped talking and faced me. A part of me wanted to run away, but Darcy made her way through the crowd to stand next to me, and Petula stood on my other side.

"Thank you to all of you who responded to my texts," Petula giggled.

"And thank you, Buddy, for bringing Devon over as well," Darcy added, and they both waved softly.

"You said you had big news to share, Petula," Brody chuckled. "Now that Mel's here, are you going to tell us?"

"Yes. My big news is that Mel has something to share."

"Huh?" I asked. She pushed me forward. I glanced back at her, and she nodded.

"You know... about yesterday after the concert."

I stared at her with wide eyes before facing everyone else. They were all here because Petula wanted to share my news with everyone and celebrate. After the way Jeanie reacted, I was nervous to tell them. But with how happy Petula and Darcy were for me, smiling enthusiastically as they squeezed my hands, I was thankful at least someone gave me the reaction I was hoping for.

"I'm now the drummer in Petula's boyfriend's band," I slowly announced.

It didn't even take Brody a second to register what was said before he knelt under the counter and pulled out one of the confetti canon's stored for whenever someone had special news to share. I was taken aback by it all falling down, and I cried as everyone screamed and ran up to hug me.

The musicians hugged me in a group hug, all exclaiming how happy they were for me. I thanked them all before pulling away and hugging Buddy. "I can't believe I had to miss seeing you join a band."

"The audition was crazy and out of the blue. They were all laughing at me for not knowing and at how happy I was."

"How did you take it?"

"Oh, I cried like a baby," I laughed. "I'm actually in a band!"

"I am so happy for you!" he exclaimed, hugging me again.

Brody had to push him off me so he could pick me up and hug me, spinning me around. "I am so happy for you, Mel! You deserve this." He cupped both my cheeks and kissed the top of my head before hugging my head to his chest. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Brody."

Everyone in the Clubhouse got around to thanking me, and most people left ten minutes later. Sundays weren't a common day for us to meet up. Sometimes, an artist would come in, but it was mostly the writers who met up. I hoped Devon got around to talking to them.

While I talked to a few people, I noticed him talking with Callie, a writer who'd been part of the Clubhouse as long as me. She was an incredibly talented author who went to our school. I was glad to see she wasn't scared of him and actually enjoyed their conversation.

Devon excused himself so he could hug me. He didn't congratulate me. He hugged me and whispered, "Are you feeling okay?"

I pulled away. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"You were really sad when you walked in here. Are you sure you're okay?"

I didn't say anything. Instead, I leaned back in and hugged him tighter, burying my head in his neck. He quickly wrapped his arms back around me, placing his hand over my head and tightening his grip around my waist. He said nothing else as he hugged me. I didn't want him to. Just holding me made me feel better.

When I finally pulled away, he slipped his hands down to my waist, and my arms dangled loosely around his neck. I stared up at him, and he stared down at me. A part of me was compelled to just lean in and kiss him, but Buddy was watching. And so was Brody. And Callie, Petula, Darcy, and James.

James.

I jerked my head back to look at James. His hair was tied in a ponytail, and he wore loose dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. I only knew it was him because of the way Petula hung onto him and the color of his hair.

"James," I chuckled nervously as I walked up to him.

"Hi, Mel," he said, smiling calmly as he hugged Petula tighter.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, this cutie,"–Petula giggled–"told me all about how she was planning a surprise party in honor of you joining the band, and I wanted to come down and visit. Why? Did you not want me here?"

"No, it's not that. I'm more surprised you're not wearing... you know," I trailed off. I didn't know if he typically wore a similar style to his stage clothes in public. In case he didn't, I didn't want to out him or anything. "Do you not typically wear clothes like that?"

"I wear whatever I want. I didn't want to embarrass you by wearing my usual clothes in case you didn't want your friends to know."

"Wear what you want. I wouldn't have joined if I had an issue with your style." I glanced back at Devon, who quirked an eyebrow. "Devon would find you really attractive," I told James.

"What?" I heard Devon say behind me.

James sized Devon up and smirked. "I feel the same way."

Devon blushed, smiling bashfully. "Oh, thank you."

"So what is her schedule going to be like?" Brody said, beginning the interrogation. "You understand that she's still in high school."

"I'm a senior."

"Doesn't matter."

"We won't need to begin rehearsals with her until November. Once Eric leaves, we'll become a weekend band. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Once she graduates, we can talk about weeknights, but we'd have rehearsals every Thursday night."

"Sweet, that's actor night here," I chuckled.

"But you're still going to work Sunday nights," Brody stated. "That means you'll be tired on Mondays and give your week an awful start."

"I can talk to my counselor about changing my free period to first period. Then I can sleep in on Mondays, and Fridays if practice runs late. She'll understand if I tell her it's for my health."

"I don't want you to overwork yourself," Brody worried.

"I'm not going to. Why do you think I haven't been dating anyone? It's all been for this moment when I finally have my time occupied by my band instead of a lover," I gushed.

"All you need if the love of your fans, right?" James chuckled, and I nodded. "I thought the same thing until I started dating Petula." He kissed her cheek and she giggled. "I worked to make sure I had time to be with her. Love will screw up your plans."

"Then I guess I have to make sure I don't fall in love," I smirked, taking it on as a challenge. That meant no more thinking about Devon romantically. I had my drumming career ahead of me. Love would not fuck it up.

"Don't fall behind on your schoolwork, or else I will make you take time off from the band," Brody threatened.

"If she needs help," Devon said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "I can tutor her."

"Yeah, he's been helping me pass all my tests lately."

Brody smirked at him. "Hmm."

James patted my shoulder and took Petula's hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you. We should go, though. We have a movie to see."

"Oh, James!" Darcy exclaimed and ran up to him. "Just so you know- I can text Petula the details later, but Mel and I are performing in our school's variety show. You should bring the band. It's in two weeks."

James nodded and glanced back at me with a smile. "We'll be there."

"Me too!" Petula exclaimed.

Playing in front of my new band. I may have played with them, but there was a difference between an audition and an actual show. I had to make sure I was perfect for playing in front of them.