Danny sighed as he sank into his couch, fingering his guitar, yesterday was easily one of the best of his life. Who would've thought that 2 kids, 2 very optimistic kids that really loved their parents and truly believed in the power of music could bring back Love Handel? Danny plucked out a tuneless melody, where had the time gone? If felt like 2 days ago he was in High School getting the band together.
BRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNGGGG !
"A band?" Bobbi deadpanned as he fixed his hair in his locker mirror, "You want us to start a band?" Danny was so excited he could burst.
"Sure, we're friends, we're musicians, we're talented and most important we're good looking guys." Bobbi closed his locker;
"Correction, you're above average and I'm gorgeous." Bobbi gave an award winning smile, "But seriously, why a band?" Danny grinned wide enough to split his face in half,
"Have you no vision man? The spirit of Rock n' Roll has called me, you can't say that you haven't heard her."
"Her? And as for hearing her, well…" Bobbi trailed off.
"Aha! You have heard her, calling you, describing the fame and money, the groupies; we are destined to be the next great thing." Danny was practically vibrating as they walked home, Bobbi held up his hand.
"Wait, how are we supposed to make a band with just a guitar and a bass?" Finally Danny's face fell, they stood, in front of Bobbi's home.
"Well, I guess I hadn't considered that, we'll need a drummer." The grin was back, "A drummer as good as us! Shouldn't be that hard to find one here in Danville, should it?" Danny looked at Bobbi with his eyes sparkling, Bobbi chuckled lightly.
"Well, if anything, I have admire your optimism don't I?" He kissed Danny on the cheek sweetly. "Why don't we hold auditions after school in the lunch room next week?" Danny rubbed his face,
"See that? That's why everyone thinks we're doing each other." Bobbi only laughed lightly.
"Oh, you mean we're not?"
Bobbi sank into his plush arm chair, his bass in his lap, isn't it funny, the things you forget and the things you don't. He could remember the first time he heard the bass guitar by itself, the day he asked his parents to learn to play, the day he met Danny and found he played guitar. He chuckled as he started Santa Fe, he could especially remember looking for their star drummer.
"Thank you, thank you." Bobbi waved their 10th drummer hopeful out of the lunch room.
"A..are you sure? I mean I can do more…" Bobbi glared dangerously and then sighed impatiently.
"I'm sure; you're not in, good bye." Danny had his head down on the desk, he mentioned something about a headache, Danny sighed as Bobbi started to rub his shoulder thoughtfully.
"This shouldn't have been this hard, how many people go to this school. Either they can't drum of, according to you, they don't fit."
"Hey, appearance matters, we need to have a look, if someone doesn't fit they throw the whole thing off." Bobbi decided to stop there, Danny seemed pretty bummed as he packed his backpack, oh how could he make it up to him? "Look, don't worry, if the 'spirit of Rock n' Roll' really wants us to become famous then she'll find us a drummer."
"But what if she doesn't? What if it's just some kind of crazy dream?" Grabbing Danny's shoulder Bobbi stood up, his green eyes fierce.
"Well find our drummer, don't get so down." Danny still looked melancholy, "How about I buy you some ice cream hmm? Will that make it better?" Danny pouted and nodded, god he was cute when he was being juvenile.
As they made their way through various alley ways, Bobbi talked, he talked about the future bands overall look, what kinds of flavors of ice cream they had, if he looked okay. Really he was just trying to cheer up Danny who, despite the promise of free ice cream, was still looking a bit bummed. Bobbi sighed and decided to just keep talking until he said something back to him, this time the subject was on proper upkeep of nails. Suddenly there was a hand around his mouth,
"Hush! Don't you hear that?" Bobbi moved the hand from his mouth,
"What is wrong with you? How dare you put your hands on my face, I don't know where it's been andmruhe" His face was covered again.
"That's The Who, Won't Get Fooled Again." Bobbi heard it now, a drum song.
"So? It's just someone playing their favorite song too loud." Danny shook his head,
"No, it's too, too…organic, that's the real deal. It's coming from this direction, come on." Danny, grabbing Bobbi's arm, took off running, turning and twisting down the alleys before spying an open garage. "Here, it's coming from this one right here." Bobbi, busy fixing his now rumpled clothes, gave a bored glance at the garages before spying the strawberry blonde boy drumming for his life. "Can't you feel it Bobbi? He's our drummer! I'm sure of it, what do you think?" Bobbi couldn't think, that hair, those eyes, that face, he could feel it, this was the one, and he was exactly what they needed. "Hey, Bobbi, I asked you what you thought. Hey where are you going? Wait you can't just go up to him!"
"Hi there! I'm Bobbi!"
"Aaaaaaaaa-"
Sherman lay in his bed, staring out at the hazy, unfocused middle distance, it was almost enough to remind him of those hazy drug days, before he needed his glasses, before he lost his good friends. He rolled on his side, yesterday had been, against all odds, fun. Learning he hadn't lost his rhythm, just misplaced it, playing in his band, with his friends, which he had only met by chance. Rolling back on his back he smiled to himself, he would never forget it, Bobbi first, Bobbi was always the strange one.
"-aaaaaaaugh!" Sherman, much to his chagrin, fell over almost taking his drum set with him. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his drumming really, no matter what his cousins said, this strange boy just scared him. The white haired kid helped him up, talking a mile a minute.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, it's just well, you're a very good drummer, have I seen you around school? Anyways I was, no we were wondering if..."
"Slowdown, we? What do mean we? I only see a you." Bobbi looked out towards the alley and made strange hand motions and magically another kid appeared.
"Yes we, this is Danny, and I'm Bobbi, Bobbi Fabulous, and we were wondering if you wanted to join our band!" Sherman raised his eyebrow, a band? With some kids he barely even knew from school? "Hey come on, it'll be fun. Danny here is a music aficionado and really thinks we can be something great. Don't you Danny?" Danny smiled,
"I sure do, I think you're a great drummer, and together we could be one of the greatest bands to ever play in the Tri State Area!" Sherman scratched his ear nervously, a band? Not many people even knew he could play an instrument and now these kids, believed they could form a band.
"Well, I-I mean, a band might be fun, and it'd be a way for me to learn new songs to play. I guess I'm in." Bobbi clapped while Danny hugged him close, it felt good.
"Yes, Bobbi, Danny and..and." Danny let go, "Dude, we don't even know your name." Bobbi laughed behind his hand while Sherman flushed.
"It's Sherman, b-but everyone calls me Swampy." Danny resumed the hugging,
"Yes, Bobbi, Danny and Swampy, in the greatest band from the Tri-State Area!"
"Fabulous!"
PRESENT DAY
Bobbi was surprised to see Danny leaning on the door to the drummer's apartment; his eyes closed. For a brief moment Bobbi contemplated just taking the elevator back down but something in him knew better.
"Hey there 'rock star', what brings you here?" Danny, cracked an eye,
"I guess the same thing that brought you here, yesterday, 10 years ago, our history, fate."
"Yeah, all rolled up in one hair curler." Laughter that was a good sign.
"Bobbi?" Danny suddenly swallowed, as if there was something thick in his throat. "I missed that, us, the band, being friends, our…relationship. All of it." Another swallow, "I mean, we've lived in the same city for how long and we've never talked or anything. I don't want that to happen again. I want it to be like it used to be." Bobbi hugged his old friend.
"Well, we sure can and I'm sure that Swampy-"
"I'm sure that if you don't get in here and stop hugging in front of my door like a bunch of sissies I'm calling the cops." There was Sherman, in a bathrobe leaning against the door frame. Danny swallowed yet again before speaking.
"Dude, how much of that did you actually hear?" Sherman shrugged.
"Enough, get in here, I'm tired and I'm not letting you guys walk home this late. Bedroom's down the hall."
Danny and Bobbi lay on opposite sides of the bed, ram rod straight neither looking at the other while Sherman settled himself in the middle. Slowly but surely Bobbi rolled over, placing his arms around Sherman's waist while Danny rested his head on his shoulder. This was familiar, it was right, nostalgic even.
