In The Band
Angelica put on a short skirt and her favorite black t-shirt. It was her first night out with the guys in their band Banshee, and she was looking forward to being their new lead singer. She already got permission from her mom to go, not that her parents were even home. With them away at a business meeting, there wasn't anyone there to tell her that the skirt was too short, the t-shirt was too low-cut, and her new black boots were too much for a girl her age. And while Angelica already knew these things, she didn't care. This was her night to shine, and she was looking forward to it.
Angelica drove over to the drummer's house. Andrew was already at the drums, shirtless. He wore two black spiky bracelets with a matching necklace, plus a set of leather pants and matching black boots. From the way his upper right arm looked, the fake Sharpie tattoo his sister, Claire, the original lead singer of the group, gave him was fading off.
"Yeah, you showed up!" Andrew exclaimed from the drums, banging out a rift before gesturing towards the house. Angelica followed his thumb and found the other band members, Johnny the bassist and Clark the guitarist, setting some frozen burritos on a pan.
"Want any?" Clark asked. Angelica gagged but smirked anyway, shaking her head. Clark shrugged, "Suit yourself. Eh, you probably already ate."
"If not we can get some pizza afterwards," Johnny shrugged, placing down the last burrito and popping them in the oven. He called to Clair, who entered the kitchen in grey sweats and a pink t-shirt with her phone in her hand. She agreed to watch out for the food and to call them when it was ready.
"Alright, first song. Let's go," Clark grinned, beating the group into the garage. Once they were set up, Angelica was given a print-out of their first song. She'd already been sent the track, so she knew what to expect, but this made it easier. Claire had slurred several words in her attempt to scream like a banshee, so this was nice to have.
Andrew started hitting time on his drumsticks. The others got set up, and after a nod from Clark, Andrew started his part. The boys led in perfectly, the guitar and bass blending into a pretty decent sound. Andrew's drumming was pretty good too. The only test would be Angelica, the new lead.
When she started, the music stopped. Clair appeared in the doorway, and Angelica wondered if she'd missed something. Everyone exchanged glances before deciding to start the song over. This time they didn't stop when Angelica came in, but Claire had disappeared again when the song stopped. And the boys, despite only doing the one song, decided it was best to go inside. Angelica followed and watched them eat the nasty burritos. Claire popped some popcorn and offered her some, but the group ate in silence.
No one could say it, but Angelica had lived up to the name Banshee, and they had to find a way to tell her this wasn't going to work out.
Tommy was at his locker checking his blue notebook, well, one of them. He'd gotten several blue spiral-bound notebooks at the start of the year, where Dil had gotten several green to match. Tommy never bothered to label any of them, and thanks to his lack of organization, he had no idea which notebook, if any, held his math homework.
"Hey, can I talk to you?" a voice called. Tommy looked back to see Clark. He was a senior like Angelica, but Tommy didn't think the two had any connections, not that he knew any of Angelica's connections. He and Dil made a pact years ago to ignore Angelica in all public places. Now that she was a teen with a long list of exes and hookups, it made it easy. No names to remember, no guy to get close to just to watch her ruin him. It was a nice pact, but Tommy could practically feel the cracks as he gave up on his original task, putting up his notebook and closing his locker.
"Yeah, sure," Tommy nodded, leaning on the lockers and turning to face Clark.
"So I'm in this band with a few other guys, and we, uh, made a little mistake we were wanting your help with," Clark said nervously, shifting from foot to foot.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, "A mistake I could help with? I'm a sophomore with zero musical talent. This has to do with something else, maybe my cousin?"
"Yeah, your cousin. You see, the band might be called Banshee but we don't want our lead singer to sound like one," Clark explained, scratching his head. "And Angelica sounds worse than a banshee, but we don't know how to tell her. Andrew's sister told us to go easy on her."
"Why isn't she your lead singer?" Tommy asked. "Why'd you have to pick her in the first place? If you remember, she was kicked off the grade-wide choir in fifth grade for being so terrible."
"Oh really? None of us were here in elementary school, so we didn't know, and…it's all Johnny's fault. Well, Andrew kicked Claire off the band because she didn't look the part and you couldn't understand her singing. She said she was trying to do metal without all the black, but we agreed she wasn't right," Clark explained, pausing to sigh heavily, "Johnny picked Angelica because they had math together and he liked her or something. He said we'd love her, but dude, the neighbors threatened to call the cops if they ever heard her again."
Tommy laughed, "Yeah, she is that bad. Listen, I can't help you. I keep my life separate from Angelica for a reason, and the same goes for my brother and my friends. It's easier that way. Besides, Johnny should break the news to her. He invited her, so he should kick her off. But I'm guessing he thinks he has a chance with her. Rule One: Nobody has a chance with Angelica. Her pajamas are lucky she wears them. Now if you'll excuse me," Tommy said, walking off as the first tardy bell rang.
Clark watched Tommy walk away, and he couldn't help but agree on all points. Johnny wanted Angelica so he should kick her out of the band. And if he wouldn't because he liked her, then Clark would have to break the bad news. Angelica wasn't dating material. She was either into you or she wasn't, and most likely she wasn't, like almost one hundred percent of the time. It might be a band between friends, but Angelica wasn't a friend and she wasn't band material. She had to go and Johnny had to do it.
Clark met up with Johnny behind the gym after school. It was their private spot between some high shrubs. Judging by the trash, other people knew about the spot too and probably used it for illicit activity, but these guys only wanted to talk, and it was a very important conversation, and Johnny knew it.
"So, this is about Angelica, isn't it?" Johnny asked. Clark shifted nervously but didn't back down. He nodded. Johnny sighed, "Okay, so I asked her on the band hoping to eventually ask her out. I had no idea she was like, the worst singer in the world. She gives Banshee a whole new interpretation though," Johnny smirked.
"But we don't want people to run away on impact," Clark added. "Or call the cops. Mr. John threatened to if he ever hears her again, and no, we're not moving houses again. Andrew's is fine."
Johnny sighed, "I guess I have to tell her it's not going to work out, but I still want her to like me. Do you think I can tell her she sucks and still get a date with her?"
"Just talk to her and you'll find out," Clark shrugged.
"I hear a tone there, Clark. Who'd you talk to?" Johnny asked.
"Crap," Clark muttered, sighing heavily, "So I talked to Tommy, her little cousin? The one with the weird freshman brother? He told me it was your problem, but he warned me that she loves rejecting people. I've heard rumors about that myself. She's not the kind of girl that just stays with one guy for too long. From what I hear, you're lucky to make it to that second date. I bet she even knows about this spot."
"She's not that loose," Johnny said angrily.
"I'm not saying she's loose. I'm saying she cuts guys loose. Prepare yourself, but know that you probably never had a chance anyway. Just piss her off and see what happens. I'll put an ad up for auditions. If we want someone for the Battle of the Bands next month, we better look fast," Clark shrugged, leaving their hiding spot.
Johnny lingered but not for long. He texted Angelica and asked to meet with her somewhere private. She gave him an address, so Johnny rode over there. He found himself at Angelica's house, where she was home alone in their pool, her bikini sparkling in the afternoon sun.
"Care to join me?" Angelica called.
"Nah, I'm here on business. Do you mind coming up here?" Johnny asked. Angelica swam to the edge and pulled herself out. Johnny politely handed her a towel before heading to the other side of the pool, where two chairs were side by side. One was in the shade and the other in full sun. Angelica laid out in the sun, leaving Johnny in the shade.
"So, I take practice ended a little fast for some reason?" Angelica inquired, turning to face Johnny.
"Yeah, well…yeah," Johnny admitted, sighing, "Um…we didn't know about your singing."
"I realized that when I saw your reaction. I thought you wanted a bad singer for a band called Banshee. I guess you didn't want someone as bad as me, huh?" Angelica grinned.
"Nope. The neighbors threatened to call the cops if you ever showed up again. Clark said he was pissed," Johnny smirked.
Angelica laughed, "Well, I do have that ability. You guys could've told me first thing when you stopped. I know I suck. Karaoke bars have been sending me letters of banishment since the choir incident in fifth grade. I know you guys weren't here then. I guess someone should've warned you I'm worse than a banshee."
"I'm surprised you're so okay with it. I figured you'd blow up at me and tell me never to talk to you again," Johnny admitted.
"When you're as bad as me, you might as well own up to it. There's no use getting mad about it. I am a proud person though. I'm glad you noticed that about me, and hey, you took a shot. You guys were brave. And why wouldn't I talk to you again? You guys are awesome. I'm surprised Claire doesn't think more highly of you guys," Angelica said, turning over on her chair.
"Claire got mad because we told her she wasn't what we wanted sound wise. I think she royally hates you right now-"
"As she should. I am so much hotter than her," Angelica grinned, turning to Johnny. "Is that what started this whole thing? You thought if you made me lead singer of your friends' band, I'd go out with you?"
"Well-"
"Hey, it was a good shot. I was impressed, I really was. And I'd love to keep hanging out with you guys, be your resident groupie. And if you need a real banshee," Angelica grinned, clicking her tongue, "I'm your girl."
"Are you asking me out?"
"It took you long enough to ask me that. Yes, I'm asking you out. And if you're smart, you'd say yes," Angelica smirked.
"I was going to ask you, but I didn't think this conversation would go in this direction, to be honest. Of course I'll go out with you."
"Good," Johnny smiled, starting to laugh, "Wow, I did not think this is how things would go down."
Angelica shrugged as she sat up, "Yeah, well, you guys never know until you ask. Most of the school is afraid of me because I know what I want. If you don't impress me the first date, fine, I'll find someone else. I usually let guys come to me, but if I like something, I go for it. If more people were like that, this world would be a better place. Now, pizza? You can invite the crew."
Within the hour, the group met up at a pizzeria and crowded around a booth. No one expected to see Johnny and Angelica enter hand-in-hand after he kicked her from the band, but there were no hard feelings. The group looked as if they'd been friends forever, and Angelica had to admit, this finally seemed like something she could work with.
~End
Theme 39: Jam Session
A/N: Theme from my Infinite Theme List I adapted from the Arthur fandom. I've put all 200 of them on my profile, organized by category, so check it out if you're interested.
As for this piece, I want to do more with this but I'll leave this as a one-shot for now. Hope you guys liked it.