The Band: Part 1
"Hi Rachel!" Reese yelled excitedly, running towards the attractive brunette. His heart pounded in his chest. Rachel Finnegan had been the love of Reese's life for the past month. He had tried everything he could do to win her over, but nothing had worked.
"Oh, hi. Um, what did you say your name was again?" Rachel reciprocated.
"Reese. I'm in your English class?" he spoke hesitantly.
"Right. Now I remember. Do you want something?" she inquired.
"No. I just wanted to say-" Reese's face fell. Rachel had turned around and was talking to a group of older boys who were carrying guitar cases.
Reese edged closer to hear what they were saying. "I think it's cool that you guys are in a band. I find it very…sexy," Rachel smiled flirtatiously.
"Actually, we're in a tight spot. We need to find a drummer before tomorrow. We have a gig at the school dance," the tallest of the boys said.
"You know, I play drums!" Reese advocated.
"You do? Are you free tomorrow night?" the boy's eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Am I in?"
"Of course!" the group of boys clapped him on the back. "I'm John, and this Joe, Jim, and Jeremy. Our band is called 'Bloody Armrest'."
"What does Bloody Armrest mean?" Reese prattled.
"I don't know. We thought it sounded cool," Jeremy answered.
Jim pulled a sheaf of pages out of his guitar case. "Here's the sheet music. Think you can learn it by tomorrow?"
"Uh-huh," gulped Reese. He accepted the papers and shoved them hastily into his backpack.
"See you later man," John, Joe, Jim, and Jeremy chorused as they walked off.
"Bye Reese. I can't wait to see you play tomorrow night," Rachel giggled. She sauntered away, giving Reese a little wave over her shoulder.
Oh yes! thought Reese. Rachel's gonna fall for me! This is perfect! After tomorrow, she'll be all mine. But wait a minute…I don't know how to play the drums! How am I ever gonna learn by tomorrow night? This is a disaster! What should I do?
In the distance, a bell rang loudly, signaling the end of school. Kids swarmed around, talking, laughing, and pulling things out of lockers. Sighing, Reese jammed his hands into his pockets, picked up his backpack, and walked home.
"Hi honey. How was school?" asked Lois when her son entered the house.
"Okay, I guess." Reese bit hungrily into one of the chocolate-chip cookies that Lois had set out for the boys as an afternoon snack. After finishing his cookie, he slunk into the room that he shared with Malcolm and Dewey.
Malcolm was sitting at the desk, doing his homework. "What's wrong with you?" he needled, taking one look at Reese's unhappy face.
"None of your damn business!" he scowled. Oh man. I've really done it this time. What am I gonna do?
The rest of the day passed by in a flash. The family ate dinner, watched TV, and went to bed. The next morning, the boys went to school, and Hal and Lois went to work. Before Reese knew it, it was 7:00, and time to go to the dance.
When they arrived at the school, Lois practically had to push Reese out of the car. He didn't want to be there. Heaving an incredibly gigantic sigh, Reese pushed open the doors to the gymnasium, and marched inside.