Day 3, The Phillip's House, Post-Dinner

"Clu," Cary yanked his younger brother aside after dinner, "We gotta talk…about…you know."

It took all of three seconds for the light to dawn in Clu's eyes. "Oh…yea," he smirked conspiratorially.

The boys made their way to the garage. Clu sat on the hood of the blue car he co-owned.

"Okay, listen," Cary began, business like, "Remember last night when you guys couldn't find me?"

Clu frowned, "Aw man, yea…I was searchin' for you for like…an hour!"

"More like twenty minutes…" Cary began to argue but stopped him self, "That's besides the point. Listen."

He shifted to make sure Clu was really paying attention, "I was in Fi's room….I was reading her journal and…"

"Bro," Clu held up his hands in objection, "That is totally un-cool. Reading a chick's journal without permission is like…the number one no in the guy's handbook."

Cary rolled his eyes, "Are you gonna let me finish?" He waited, Clu nodded, and Cary continued, "Annie said she was a really good singer…and all really good singers have lyrics. And Fi did, a whole notebook full of stuff. And it was actually pretty decent."

"Woah," Clu held up his hands again, sliding off the car, "Bro are you saying…what I think you're saying?"

"I don't know Clu, I haven't really said much of anything you keep interrupting me," He playfully punched his brother in the shoulder.

"You want Fi to be our singer!" Clu shouted.

"Shhhh!" Cary slapped a hand across the back of Clu's head, "You want the whole house to find out?"

"Does Fi know?" Clu asked rubbing his head.

"'Course she knows…I asked her once I read her notebook." Cary smiled smugly.

"But…can she sing? I mean I know Annie said she could an' all but Annie…"

"Annie what Clu?" Annie asked, jumping up from behind the car.

Cary and Clu jumped in unison.

"Woah," Cary put a hand to his heart, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Jack said, sliding out on the dolly from underneath the car, "To have heard you talking about getting my kid sister to be the singer in a band you're starting…or have started…"

Jack looked puzzled for a moment, "You guys haven't actually started this band yet have you?"

"Nah buddy," Clu said, throwing his arm over Jack's shoulder, "We would have totally let you in on it from the get go…it's just…this is kinda the get go."

Clu suddenly looked puzzled and Jack rolled his eyes. Annie perched herself on the hood of the car and looked to Cary expectantly.

"What Clu's trying to say…I think…is that we just got the great idea of starting our own band." Cary's blue eyes brightened with excitement. And the others couldn't help but smile.

Everyone except Jack; Jack just looked skeptical, "Does Irene know about this?"

Clu laughed, "Psh no."

Cary smacked him across the stomach.

"Ouf," Clu bent over in slight pain. "You gotta stop hitting me man."

"We're gonna ask…tell…we're gonna tell her once we put it all together." Cary assured Jack.

"Which is when?" Annie asked enthusiastically. Jack eyed her warily.

"What? This is the most exciting news since I found out I was accepted to study in Peru!" A look of sadness shot across her face. "I can't believe you guys are starting a band just when I'm about to leave!" she pouted.

Clu sighed and rolled his eyes, "Listen Annie, it's not like we did it intentionally…it was just perfect timing…except for you of course." Clu shrugged and Annie continued to pout on the hood.

"What happened to you and school?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

Clu ran a hand threw his hair, letting it sit at the back of his neck, "Same as you…'cept instead of not going at all…I…well I dropped out so it's pretty much the same thing. Except I've already gone for a year."

"You dropped out?" Annie and Jack said simultaneously, mouths half-opened in shock.

Clu just smirked infectiously and shrugged.

"Yea, great family tradition," Cary laughed sarcastically, "Anyways, back to our original conversation…"

"About you starting a band that Irene doesn't know about…with Clu, whose dropped out and told almost no one and my sister, who you haven't even heard sing." Jack said.

"I have heard her sing. This morning, and she's good," Cary reasoned, "And Fi's graduated so…"

"Fi's graduated?!" Annie asked in shock.

"She agreed to it," Cary finished, not paying attention to Annie's outburst.

Jack became very thoughtful, then looked Cary clear in the eye, "On what condition?"

Cary sighed internally, smirking slightly, Jack always knew if the whole story hadn't been told.

"If my mom agrees to it, then she's in."

Jack nodded.

"You know," Clu said, throwing an arm around Jack again, "We don't have a second guitar player…or keyboardist, or manager…or"

"Clu," Cary cut him off warningly.

"What I'm tryin' to say man, is that we would be honored if you joined us!" Clu stuck out his hand forcefully.

Jack looked apprehensive, then smiled, "Sure…I mean, I have been playing guitar almost as long as Cary now."

"Righteous," Clu shook Jack's hand.

"But," Jack added, "Only after Irene agrees."

"Right," Cary smiled, "Not a problem."

"We're are you going?" Jack asked a retreating Annie.

"To find Fi," She responded sharply, "She and I have some serious girl-talk guidelines to go over…like…how you are always supposed to tell a friend if you've graduated high school…a year early!"

She turned and shot out of the room.

Clu shook his head; "I would not want to be Fi right now."

Jack shrugged, lying down on the dolly and sliding back under the car, "Lemme know how Irene takes it." He murmured.

"Dude," Clu said, deeply confused, "What are you doing to my car?"

"Our," Jack emphasized, "Car is driving funny. So I'm making sure everything is ok."

"Dude," Clu looked at Cary then back to the car, "You don't think it's haunted again do you?"

Cary rolled his eyes and smacked Clu across the back of the head, hard, and walked out of the room.

"Bro, you gotta stop doing that!" Clu complained, rubbing the back of his head and following Cary out of the room.